The insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding
Despite distinct peripheral and central pathways, stimulation of both the olfactory and the gustatory systems may give rise to the sensation of sweetness. Whether there is a common central mechanism producing sweet quality sensations or two discrete mechanisms associated independently with gustatory...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2010-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2010.00058/full |
| _version_ | 1811208224708231168 |
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| author | Maria G Veldhuizen Maria G Veldhuizen Danielle Nachtigal Lynsey Teulings Darren R Gitelman Darren R Gitelman Dana M Small Dana M Small Dana M Small Dana M Small |
| author_facet | Maria G Veldhuizen Maria G Veldhuizen Danielle Nachtigal Lynsey Teulings Darren R Gitelman Darren R Gitelman Dana M Small Dana M Small Dana M Small Dana M Small |
| author_sort | Maria G Veldhuizen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite distinct peripheral and central pathways, stimulation of both the olfactory and the gustatory systems may give rise to the sensation of sweetness. Whether there is a common central mechanism producing sweet quality sensations or two discrete mechanisms associated independently with gustatory and olfactory stimuli is currently unknown. Here we used fMRI to determine whether odor sweetness is represented in the piriform olfactory cortex, which is thought to code odor quality, or in the insular taste cortex, which is thought to code taste quality. Fifteen participants sampled two concentrations of a pure sweet taste (sucrose), two sweet food odors (chocolate and strawberry), and two sweet floral odors (lilac and rose). Replicating prior work we found that olfactory stimulation activated the piriform, orbitofrontal and insular cortices. Of these regions, only the insula also responded to sweet taste. More importantly, the magnitude of the response to the food odors, but not to the non-food odors, in this region of insula was positively correlated with odor sweetness rating. These findings demonstrate that insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding by representing the taste-like aspects of food odors. Since the effect was specific to the food odors, and only food odors are experienced with taste, we suggest this common central mechanism develops as a function of experiencing flavors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T04:17:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-432d74598a894eb0a7d2e5bde5edab2e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T04:17:35Z |
| publishDate | 2010-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-432d74598a894eb0a7d2e5bde5edab2e2022-12-22T03:48:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612010-07-01410.3389/fnhum.2010.000581744The insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality codingMaria G Veldhuizen0Maria G Veldhuizen1Danielle Nachtigal2Lynsey Teulings3Darren R Gitelman4Darren R Gitelman5Dana M Small6Dana M Small7Dana M Small8Dana M Small9The John B Pierce LaboratoryYale University School of MedicineThe John B Pierce LaboratoryThe John B Pierce LaboratoryFeinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityFeinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityThe John B Pierce LaboratoryYale UniveristyYale University School of MedicineYale University School of MedicineDespite distinct peripheral and central pathways, stimulation of both the olfactory and the gustatory systems may give rise to the sensation of sweetness. Whether there is a common central mechanism producing sweet quality sensations or two discrete mechanisms associated independently with gustatory and olfactory stimuli is currently unknown. Here we used fMRI to determine whether odor sweetness is represented in the piriform olfactory cortex, which is thought to code odor quality, or in the insular taste cortex, which is thought to code taste quality. Fifteen participants sampled two concentrations of a pure sweet taste (sucrose), two sweet food odors (chocolate and strawberry), and two sweet floral odors (lilac and rose). Replicating prior work we found that olfactory stimulation activated the piriform, orbitofrontal and insular cortices. Of these regions, only the insula also responded to sweet taste. More importantly, the magnitude of the response to the food odors, but not to the non-food odors, in this region of insula was positively correlated with odor sweetness rating. These findings demonstrate that insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding by representing the taste-like aspects of food odors. Since the effect was specific to the food odors, and only food odors are experienced with taste, we suggest this common central mechanism develops as a function of experiencing flavors.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2010.00058/fullfMRIgustatoryflavorinsulaolfactorymultimodal |
| spellingShingle | Maria G Veldhuizen Maria G Veldhuizen Danielle Nachtigal Lynsey Teulings Darren R Gitelman Darren R Gitelman Dana M Small Dana M Small Dana M Small Dana M Small The insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding Frontiers in Human Neuroscience fMRI gustatory flavor insula olfactory multimodal |
| title | The insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding |
| title_full | The insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding |
| title_fullStr | The insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding |
| title_full_unstemmed | The insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding |
| title_short | The insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding |
| title_sort | insular taste cortex contributes to odor quality coding |
| topic | fMRI gustatory flavor insula olfactory multimodal |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2010.00058/full |
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