Latest

taste aversion

This shows a head and a brain made of food.

·April 16, 2026·9 min read

Fat Cells Teach the Brain to Avoid Bad Food

A new study reveals that fat cells play a vital role in learning food aversion. By producing dopamine in response to infection, fat cells tell the brain to avoid harmful bacteria in the future.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 3, 2024·5 min read

Aversion Shapes Addiction Risk in Early Drug Use

New research reveals that initial reactions to unpleasant drug experiences, like bitterness or discomfort, may predict susceptibility to addiction. In a rat study, individual responses to a bitter-tasting cue paired with cocaine varied widely, with some avoiding the drug entirely and others increasing consumption over time.

This shows a rotten, furry cheese burger

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 11, 2021·4 min read

Once Bitten, Twice Shy: What Happens in the Brain When We Have Bad Experiences With Food

With the help of snails, researchers investigate the neural processes at work when we develop food aversions after eating a bad meal.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·November 11, 2020·3 min read

Taste Aversion Reveals How Bad Experiences Modify Brain and Behavior

Learning to avoid certain tastes depends on the long term reduction in activity the connections between threat and taste sensors in the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 5, 2018·5 min read

Researchers Identify Area of the Amygdala Involved in Taste Aversion

A new study implicates the basolateral amygdala in conditioned taste aversion. The study could pave the way for treatments to curb taste aversions associated with chemotherapy and eating disorders.

The image shows the outline of a human head and brain in blue.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 22, 2014·4 min read

New Discovery in the Study of the Brain and Memory

Researchers discover a functional link between an area of the brain associated with taste memory and an area associated with encoding the time and place the memory occurred.