Sensory Science and Metabolism; Molecular and Neuronal Mechanisms

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The Sensory Science and Metabolism (SenSMet) laboratory under the leadership of Dr. Paule Joseph had its inception in October 2017 (FY2018).Dr. Joseph began her secondary appointment with NIAAA this fiscal year (FY19). The SenSMet laboratory conducts translation and clinical inpatient and outpatient studies. Active collaborations to investigate areas of common interest in nutrition, taste, and obesity have been undertaken. Specifically, two double-blind clinical protocols for which sensory phenotyping measures have been implemented in collaboration with Dr Gary Gibbons (NIHGRI) and Dr. Kevin Hall (NIDDK). In addition, new collaborations develop to investigate neuronal mechanisms in obesity as well as multi-sensory studies in AUD/OUD participants. 1. Microbiome and Metabolites Designing Microbiome Studies: Implications in Nursing. Led by Katherine Maki. Nurse scientists are significant when studying complex relationships which contribute to human health and disease, including the microbiome and genetics. The purpose of this review was to highlight the important methodological factors to implement or design a microbiome study with the sole intention to be used as a guide for nurse scientists. The review emphasized the factors influencing the human microbiome along with methodologies on sample processing and metagenomic sequencing ( Maki et al, 2019). Metabolite Profiling in Healthy Children Following Probiotic Consumption. Led by Alexis Franks. This study examines metabolomic alterations in healthy children following probiotic consumption. Results are pending. 2. Sensory Systems: Gustation Taste Differences Among People with Eating Disorders. In collaboration with Dr. Ariana Chao, our team looked at alterations in taste with eating disorders. This systematic review examined research assessing taste differences, measured both psychophysically and with neuroimaging techniques, across individuals with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder). The results yielded differences in taste perception among eating disorder groups. For example, psychophysical studies revealed individuals with bulimia nervosa had greater preferences for sweet substances compared to controls. Additionally, results illuminated inconsistencies in methodologies in studies examining taste and eating behaviors (Chao, Roy, Franks, Joseph, 2019). Co-Occurring Gastrointestinal Symptoms Are Associated with Taste Changes in Oncology Patients Receiving Chemotherapy. Led by Drs. Alissa Nolden and Paule Joseph and collaborators at UCSF. This study examines the frequency, severity, and distress of patient-reported changes in the way food tastes (CFT) and correlates them with phenotypic and GI symptoms in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Results found that a high percentage of patients, who reported CTF, had frequent occurrence of GI symptoms. Analysis showed that most of the GI symptoms, including constipation, diarrhea, cramps, and bloating, had increased odds of developing in patients with CFT. Conclusions express the importance of including the assessment of CFT in the cancer patient care process. It suggests that future studies should include study this correlation over the entire course of chemotherapy treatment and recommends that molecular mechanisms should be examined to ultimately understand how CFT and GI symptoms can influence dietary behaviors and nutritional status (Nolden, Joseph...et al., 2019). 3. Obesity and Nutrition Adolescent Obesity in the Past Decade. Led by Dr. Eleanor Campbell and Alexis Franks. This review to examine literature regarding the determinants of food choice and genetic markers influencing adolescent obesity over the past decade. The results highlighted the research gap within this specific cohort, including merging adolescent participants with younger children. Also, the results demonstrated the importance of several factors, such as genetics/genomics and socioeconomic status on adolescent obesity. In addition, future studies that focus on adolescent obesity are warranted as well as the implication of precision health in obesity treatment and interventions (Campbell, Franks and Joseph, 2018). Comprehensive and Systematic Analysis of Gene Expression Patterns Associated with Body Mass Index. Led by Dr. Paule Joseph. This study investigates clinical and microarray genetic data from 90 healthy individuals to understand patterns of interaction between different genes that can ultimately affect obesity. Weight gene co-analysis and several computational methods revealed seven individual genes, two gene modules (associated with catabolic and muscular system processes), and several higher-order gene expression interactions that were correlated to BMI. The implications from this study suggest that these higher order genetic interactions should be further explored to understand BMI-related mechanisms (Joseph et al., 2019).