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taste receptors

·May 19, 2024·6 min read

Sweet Taste Receptors Play Role in Glucose Metabolism

The sweet taste receptor, TAS1R2-TAS1R3, plays a dual role in regulating glucose metabolism. Stimulating this receptor with sucralose accelerates insulin release, while inhibiting it with lactisole slows insulin release. This finding suggests that targeting TAS1R2-TAS1R3 could offer new therapeutic avenues for managing metabolic disorders like diabetes.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 15, 2020·4 min read

A gut-to-brain circuit drives sugar preference and may explain sugar cravings

Sweet tasting foods don't only trigger the taste buds, they also switch on a neurological pathway that begins in the gut. In the intestines, signals of sugar ingestion travel to the brain, sparking an appetite for more sweet foods. However, this pathway only responds to sugars, not artificial sweeteners.

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·February 24, 2018·4 min read

The Impact of Genetics on How Kids Snack

Researchers report the choice of snack your child asks for could be down to their genetics.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 9, 2018·4 min read

How do we Taste Sugar, Bacon and Coffee? Science Finds a Surprising Answer

University at Buffalo have uncovered a new chemical pathway that helps the brain to detect bitter, sweet and savory flavors.

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·September 27, 2017·3 min read

Brain Cells That Control Appetite Identified

Recent findings from University of Warwick researchers could help find new treatments to control eating habits that lead to obesity. Researchers discovered tanycytes detect amino acids from food and directly 'tell' the brain when we feel full. Certain food, such as chicken, lentils and avocados, activate tanycytes and make us feel fuller quicker.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 10, 2016·6 min read

Digesting Sweet Tastes

Researchers believe the gut enzymes in sweet taste cells could help develop better tasting sweeteners.

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

Featured Genetics

·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 Neuroscience

·June 13, 2013·4 min read

Gustatory Tug-of-War Key to Whether Salty Foods Taste Good

Researchers find a fruit fly's salty taste sensation strategy could apply to other animals, even humans.

The image shows the taste buds of a mouse with specific types of cells highlighted. The caption best describes the image.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 6, 2013·4 min read

How the Body’s Energy Molecule Transmits Three Types of Taste to the Brain

Researchers discovered the CALHM1 channel protein releases ATP to make a neural taste connection.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

Brain Study Reveals the Roots of Chocolate Temptations

Researchers have new evidence in rats to explain how it is that chocolate candies can be so completely irresistible. The urge to overeat such deliciously sweet and fatty treats traces to an unexpected part of the brain and its production of a natural, opium-like chemical.