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PubMed2002

De Gustibus: time scale of loss and recovery of tastes caused by radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To quantify the prevalence and distress of taste loss at different intervals after radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In four different groups of head and neck cancer patients (73 patients in total), taste loss and distress due to taste loss were evaluated by taste acuity tests and taste questionnaires. Group 1 (n=17) was analyzed prior to RT. Groups 2 (n=17), 3 (n=17) and 4 (n=22) were at 2, 6 and 12-24 months after treatment, respectively. A cross-sectional analysis was performed between these four groups. RESULTS: Prior to initiation of RT (group 1), partial taste loss was observed in 35, 18 and 6% of patients for bitter, salt and sweet, respectively. At 2 months after RT (group 2), taste loss (partial or total) was seen in 88, 82, 76 and 53% for bitter, salt, sweet and sour, respectively. At 6 months (group 3), partial taste loss was seen in 71, 65, 41 and 41% (bitter, salt, sweet, sour) and after 1-2 years (group 4) in 41, 50, 27 and 27% (bitter, salt, sweet, sour). Distress caused by taste loss was most frequent in group 2 (82%). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, loss of taste after RT was found to be most pronounced after 2 months. Bitter and salt qualities were most impaired. Gradual recovery was seen during the first year after treatment. Partial taste loss still persisted 1-2 years after treatment and was responsible for slight to moderate discomfort.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1981

Disturbance of taste in leprosy.

The sense of taste was assessed in a group of 30 leprosy patients. The method used and the results are presented. Twelve patients (40 per cent) showed some degree of impairment of taste sensation and this was shown to be related to the severity of the disease. The possible reasons for the loss of taste are discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed2002

Expression of activating transcription factor 3 and growth-associated protein 43 in the rat geniculate ganglion neurons after chorda tympani injury.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of damage in the geniculate ganglion and its target organ as a result of chorda tympani (CT) injury. We performed unilateral transection of the rat CT and examined expression of the activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a neuronal injury marker, and the growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), a regeneration-associated molecule. The mean proportion of ATF3-immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the geniculate ganglion was approximately 32% at 3 days after CT injury, but these neurons were never detected in the naive ganglion. Using in situ hybridization, the mean percentage of GAP-43 mRNA-labeled neurons (signal : noise ratio > or = 10) was observed to have increased significantly to approximately 60% for 1-7 days after CT injury, while that in the naive ganglion was < 15%. The results of morphological studies using scanning electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry indicated that atrophic change and reduction of protein gene-product 9.5-ir fibers in the denervated papillae, mainly in the intragemmal region, were observed after CT injury. Increase in GAP-43 mRNA, suggesting CT axonal regeneration, may have a role in recovery from taste disorders. However, this regenerative process may be involved in abnormal activity in the axotomized neurons or the adjacent intact neurons and so one must not disregard the existence of injured geniculate ganglions when considering the treatment of diseases that cause CT injury.

Activating Transcription Factor 3↗
PubMed1975

Colour-blindness and sensitivity to PTC in Hadza.

211 Hadza (Tanzania) males, including members of both western and eastern groups, were tested for red-green colour blindness with the Ishihara non-numeral plates. Three closely related individuals were considered to be protanopes. It is possible that they received the gene from an Isanzu ancestor. 118 individuals (both sexes) were tested for taste-deficiency to PTC using a single solution and a sorting test. 22% of the males and 27% of the females were considered to be non-tasters. Since this appeared to be a high figure for an African population a sample of 53 eastern Hadza males was later tested using solutions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. A conservative interpretation of the threshold distribution gave an estimate of 43% non-tasters. Corrections were applied for the inclusion of close relatives in the samples. The results are discussed in relation to other African data.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Taste function in elderly patients with unilateral middle ear disease.

OBJECTIVE: It is generally said that taste function deteriorates naturally with age. Taste function after middle ear surgery in elderly patients has not been clarified. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The taste function of the chorda tympani nerve on the normal and diseased sides was examined before and after middle ear surgery using electrogustometry in 79 patients aged>60 years, and the findings were compared with those in 228 young and middle-aged patients. RESULTS: The threshold of electrogustometry on the normal side increased significantly with increasing age (p<0.0001). The rate of thresholds that were off the scale was highest in the>70 years age group. The preoperative threshold on the diseased side increased significantly with increasing age in patients with chronic otitis media (p=0.0029) and cholesteatoma (p<0.0001). In patients with chronic otitis media, the postoperative threshold of the>60 years age group tended to be higher than that of the<60 years age group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the taste function of the chorda tympani nerve deteriorated on the diseased side as much as on the normal side in elderly patients. Therefore, in most cases, we do not have to pay as much attention to the chorda tymapani nerve when performing surgery in elderly patients compared to young and middle-aged patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Improvement of uremic hypogeusia by zinc: a double-blind study.

Diminished taste acuity may account for the persistence of protein and caloric malnutrition observed in a majority of hemodialysis patients inspite of liberalization of the prescribed amount of dietary protein. Twenty-two patients undergoing thrice weekly hemodialysis for more than 6 months were tested for taste acuity and plasma zinc concentration, after which a double-blind study was instituted using a zinc supplement (50 mg of elemental zinc as zinc acetate per day) or a placebo. The threshold of taste detection and recognition for salt (NaCl), sweet (sucrose), and bitter (urea) but not for sour (HCl) improved significantly in all patients on zinc supplementation. None of these parameters improved in those taking placebo. During the study period, the mean plasma zinc level increased from 75 +/- 8 to 97 +/- 10 microgram/dl (P less than 0.001) in patients receiving zinc acetate. There was not significant change in plasma zinc level in the placebo group (75 +/- 15 to 80 +/- 15). The results of this study show that uremic hypogeusia improved in association with zinc supplementation and elevation of plasma zinc concentration.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1995

Taste sensitivity and aging: high incidence of decline revealed by repeated threshold measures.

Contrary to what has often been said about the subject, decline in taste sensitivity with aging characterizes virtually everybody and is not the artificial result of averaging large losses of a minority with negligible losses of a majority. This assertion is supported by six repeated measures of sucrose thresholds in each of 15 older (over 64 years) and 15 younger (under 27 years) adult subjects. Threshold was determined by a procedure similar to past studies and with the same results: much scatter and considerable overlap between the thresholds of younger and older subjects. A quite contrasting picture emerges, however, when each subject's six threshold determinations are averaged. Averaging shrinks the individual differences among subjects, as well as the over-lap between younger and older subjects. Although virtually all elderly subjects now revealed taste weakness, reliable individual differences in degree of weakness abound among them, suggesting various individual rates of physiological aging. In contrast, young persons exhibit greater uniformity of sensitivity. These findings were brought out by inter-test correlations, which were much higher for the older subjects; i.e. an older subject who tended to score high (low) on one test tended to score high (low) on the other tests. The study confirms the tenuous nature of brief threshold tests as indices of personal sensitivity as found earlier also in olfactory thresholds and in concurrent measurement of two-point touch thresholds in the present study. This revealed correlated losses between repeated taste and touch thresholds from the same 15 older subjects, unrelated to their exact chronological age.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Changes in taste intensity perception following anterior temporal lobe removal in humans.

To investigate the role of the anterior temporal lobe in taste perception, we compared taste intensity estimations made by patients who had removal from either the left or the right anterior temporal lobe for the treatment of intractable epilepsy with a group of healthy control subjects. Estimations were made for five concentrations of each of four different tastes, as well as for five cards of varying saturations of gray, which served as a control task. A cross-modal magnitude estimation procedure was employed in which subjects used distance on a measuring tape to reflect intensity estimation. Distances were then transformed into logs, and the slope and the correlation with stimulus concentration or saturation was calculated. Correlation was taken as a measure of accuracy of estimation and slope was taken as a measure of perceived intensity. As predicted, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant difference between the control group and both patient groups in taste intensity estimations, but not for grayness, reflecting the importance of the anterior temporal lobe in low-level gustatory but not visual perception. Additionally, repeated measures ANOVA for slopes indicated that subjects in the right temporal group rated the bitter taste as more intense than did subjects in other groups, possibly reflecting increased intensity perception of the unpleasant bitter taste.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Qualitative differences of divalent salts: multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis.

Sensations from salts of iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc with different anions were studied using a sorting task and multidimensional scaling (MDS). Ten divalent salts were adjusted in concentrations such that the mean intensity ratings were approximately equal. Stimuli were sorted on the basis of similarity to minimize any semantic influence and were examined with and without nasal occlusion to eliminate retronasal cues. Compounds representing the four primary tastes and astringency were also sorted. Similarity estimates were derived from sorting and were submitted to MDS. Divalent salts fell outside the area of the space defined by the four primary tastes. The nose-open condition showed that some of the divalent salts have unique metallic sensations along with astringency. The groupings obtained were corroborated using single-linkage cluster analysis. An iron group was most distinctive in metallic sensations; calcium and magnesium salts were primarily bitter; and zinc salts were characterized by astringency. When nasal cues were not available, the sensations from the divalent salts were mainly explained by bitterness and astringency. Results were consistent with a previous evaluation of divalent salts using descriptive analysis.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Deterioration of olfaction and gustation as a consequence of total laryngectomy.

INTRODUCTION: After total laryngectomy the absence of a nasal airflow results in a decrease in olfaction and perception of flavors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Odor perception was assessed in 63 laryngectomized patients with two different olfactory tests. The methods used by patients to smell were observed during olfactory testing. Patients' judgment about their olfaction and gustation was assessed by means of a structured questionnaire, semistructured interview, and self-rating. RESULTS: Based on the results of the olfactory tests, patients were categorized as "smellers" and "nonsmellers." Approximately one third of the patients were able to smell the odorous substances used in the olfactory tests. The smellers more often used a variety of methods to smell than the nonsmellers (P < .002); in most patients the method consisted of active use of facial muscles. Patients appeared well able to judge their own odor perception. Compared with the smellers, the nonsmellers judged their odor perception as worse (P < .003) and reported a more severe decrease in gustation after the operation (P < .033). The results of this study in laryngectomized patients confirm the interrelation between olfaction and gustation: the nonsmellers reported a poorer gustation and a more severe decrease in gustation and appetite than both the smellers and a reference group of elderly persons (P < .05). Patients who reported a deterioration of olfaction and gustation tended to experience negative consequences such as the inability to smell smoke, leaking gas, or agreeable odors. CONCLUSION: Olfaction and odor-related flavor sensation are seriously deteriorated after total laryngectomy.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

Loss of taste in the elderly: sex differences.

The sensation of taste was tested in 280 normal people of all ages and both sexes. The sensitivity for the basic tastes decreased with increasing age, but more in men than in women; there was no sex difference in people under the age of 40. The different smoking habits of men and women did not explain this finding. It is suggested that there is a sex-specific decrease in the taste sensitivity with aging.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Taste deficits related to dental deafferentation: an electrogustometric study in humans.

Dental treatments, the prevalence of which increases with age, can cause orofacial somatosensory deficits. In order to examine whether they may also affect taste sensitivity, electrogustometric thresholds were measured at 9 loci on the tongue surface in 391 healthy non-smoking, non-medicated subjects. Results showed that the greater the number of deafferented teeth, the higher the thresholds. Irrespective of age, subjects with more than 7 deafferented teeth exhibited significantly higher thresholds than subjects with fewer than 7 deafferented teeth. Conversely, across age groups, no statistical difference was observed among subjects with no, or few, deafferented teeth. Hence, a taste deficit, which was not correlated to aging, was observed. An association was noticed between the location of taste deficits and the location of deafferented teeth. Higher thresholds at anterior sites, with no possible traumatic injury relationship, suggested that neurophysiological convergence between dental somatosensory and taste pathways - possibly in the nucleus tractus solitarius - could be responsible for these relative decreases of taste sensitivity when dental afferences were lacking. Among trigeminal contributions, lingual nerve and inferior alveolar nerve may synergize taste.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The effect of Salinum on the symptoms of dry mouth: a pilot study.

The effect of a new saliva substitute, Salinum, was tested in 37 patients with severe symptoms of reduced salivation. The majority of the patients had suffered from hyposalivation and dry mouth for more than 8 years. The saliva substitute consisted of a water soluble extract of linseed. The physical properties of this extract are similar to those of the glycoproteins of the salivary secretions. The patients used the saliva substitute for a seven days period. Prior to the use of the extract the patients reported that the most severe symptoms of decreased salivation were a feeling of dryness in the mouth and burning sensations in the tongue, pharynx and oesophagus, The majority of the patients reported that the use of Salinum reduced the symptoms of hyposalivation. Great variation in effect occurred from patient to patient. Generally the patients with the most severe symptoms experienced the greatest relief of the symptoms when they used Salinum. Although of short duration the results of this pilot study indicate that an extract of linseeds may compensate for some aspects of the consequences of reduced salivation. Further studies are needed to elucidate the feasibility of the extract as saliva replacement.

Adult↗