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taste perception

The image shows the taste buds for bitter taste on the tongue.

·September 11, 2013·2 min read

Variation in Bitter Receptor mRNA Expression Affects Taste Perception

Sensitivity to bitter taste is not only shaped by taste genes, but also how much mRNA a person's cells make, a new study suggests.

Featured Psychology

·November 12, 2015·3 min read

Extreme Noise Conditions Can Influence Taste Perception

A new study reports conditions which are extremely noisy can alter taste perception for sweet and umami flavors.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·July 29, 2016·4 min read

Music Makes Beer Taste Better

According to researchers, music can influence how much you enjoy the taste of a beer.

Featured Genetics Psychology

·October 3, 2017·6 min read

Got a Picky Eater? How ‘Nature and Nurture’ May Be Influencing Eating Behavior in Young Children

Picky eating in children may not be a result of tricky behavior, it could actually be down to genetics. Researchers identify two genes associated with picky eating.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 16, 2018·3 min read

Eating with Your Eyes: Virtual Reality Can Alter Taste

A new virtual reality study reveals people's perception of taste can be altered by what they experience in their surroundings.

This shows a person licking an ice cream

Featured Neuroscience

·April 24, 2019·4 min read

Smelling with your tongue: Functional olfactory receptors in human taste center identified

Functional olfactory receptors have been identified in human taste cells. The findings suggest olfactory receptors play a role in the taste system by interacting with taste receptors on the tongue. The brain, researchers say, combines input from taste, smell and other senses to create a multi-modal sensation of flavor.

This shows a woman holding a heart shaped cup of coffee

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 5, 2019·3 min read

Genes linked to psychoactive properties of beverages may explain why we love coffee, beer and soda

Genes related to the psychoactive properties of sweet and bitter beverages, and not variations in our taste genes, may explain why some people prefer sodas over coffee, and vice-versa.

This shows the network from the gustatory thalamus to the cortex in mice

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 7, 2019·3 min read

Neurons that encode sweetness identified: Mouse study

SatB2PBN-expressing neurons in the parabrachial nucleus play a key role in processing and encoding sweet tastes. The SatB2PBN neurons relay sweet taste signals from the gustatory thalamus to the cortex in mouse models.

This shows people eating christmas lunch around a table

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 9, 2019·4 min read

Posture impacts how you perceive your food

Whether you stand up to eat or sit for dinner, your posture influences how much you enjoy your meal. Standing to eat mutes taste perception and reduces sensory sensitivity, resulting in a decreased enjoyment of food.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 26, 2019·3 min read

Obesity tied to weakened response to taste

High-fat diets produce blunted, more prevalent responses to taste in the brain and weaken the association of taste responses with ingestive behaviors.

This shows a sugar outlined spoon and fork

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 9, 2020·4 min read

The science of how diet can change the way sugar tastes

Taste perception appears to be controlled by dopamine in fruit fly models. Tracing the neural pathway, researchers found the same pathways were associated with controlling learning and memory. The network also appears to enhance taste sensations. Researchers also discovered eating lots of sugar suppresses sweet taste perception.