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Postingestive alliesthesia produced by exogenous cholecystokinin and blocked by abdominal vagotomy.

Facial consummatory responses reflecting ingestive and aversive perceptions were studied and quantified in rats chronically implanted with oral catheters. A gustatory stimulus of 50 microliters of 1.75 M sucrose was injected into the mouth every 5 min during 65 min. At 5 min, 2 micrograms/kg exogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) was injected intraperitoneally. Typical ingestive facial consummatory responses were observed in response to sweet stimuli before the load. Aversive consummatory responses were observed in response to sweet stimuli after the intraperitoneal exogenous CCK (negative alliesthesia). Control intraperitoneal injection of saline was not followed by negative alliesthesia in response to sweet oral stimuli. In the last part of the experiment rats were vagotomized or underwent sham operation. When the vagotomized rats were again subjected to the same gustatory sessions, the intraperitoneal exogenous CCK was not followed by negative alliesthesia in response to sweet stimuli, whereas sham-operated rats presented a strong negative alliesthesia. These results in rats suggest that CCK mediates duodenal preabsorptive signal for alimentary alliesthesia. They also suggest that the effect is peripheral, with the vagus nerve as afferent pathway.

Animals↗

Medical health and emotional effects of art stimulation in old age. A controlled intervention study concerning the effects of visual stimulation provided in the form of pictures.

The present article reports on a controlled intervention study of the effects of a nondirected use of pictures as a possible modality for improving well-being in elderly women. Works of art were chosen for the individual taste pattern on the basis of psychological and art scientific research on aesthetic reactions to and perception of art. Participants were randomly allocated either to the intervention (n = 20) or to the control (n = 20) group. Participants in both groups had the same amount of social contact with and attention from the experimenter. The difference between the groups indicated improved well-being in the intervention group, an improvement not seen in the control group. The quantitative analyses of the results reveal a significant improvement of the positive mood parameters happiness, peacefulness, satisfaction and calmness and the negative parameters low-spirited, unhappy and sad. Systolic blood pressure decreased and an improvement was seen in the subjects' medical health status with regard to reported dizziness, fatigue, pain and use of laxatives.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Nutritional and technological behavior of stabilized iron-gluconate in wheat flour.

Food fortification has been shown to be an effective strategy to overcome iron malnutrition. When a new iron compound is developed for this purpose, it must be evaluated from a nutritional and technological point of view before adding it into foods. In this way, we have evaluated ferrous gluconate stabilized by glycine as a new iron source to be used in wheat flour fortification. We performed biological studies in rats as well as sensory perceptions by human subjects in wheat flour fortified with this iron source. The productions of pentane as a rancidity indicator as well as the change of the sensorial properties of the biscuits made with stabilized ferrous gluconate-fortified wheat flour were negligible. Iron absorption in water from this iron source was similar to the reference standard ferrous sulfate. Nevertheless, because of the phytic acid content, iron absorption from fortified wheat flour decrease 40% for both iron sources. The addition of zinc from different sources did not modify iron absorption from ferrous sulfate and stabilized ferrous gluconate in water and wheat flour. The iron absorption mechanism as well as the biodistribution studies demonstrate that the biological behavior of this iron source does not differ significantly from the reference standard. These results demonstrate that the iron source under study has adequate properties to be used in wheat flour fortification. Nevertheless, more research is needed before considering this iron source for its massive use in food fortification.

Animals↗

Influence of color on odor identification and liking ratings.

The effects of color on odor identification were tested under color appropriate, inappropriate, and blindfolded conditions. Subjects made fewer errors in identifying solutions that were colored appropriately (e.g., red-cherry) than in either the blindfolded condition, where there were no color cues, or the inappropriate color condition (e.g., red-lemon). Identification accuracy was greatest for typical odor-color combinations (e.g., red-cherry) compared with appropriate but nontypical odor-color combinations (e.g., red-watermelon). Response latencies were fastest for odors in the appropriately colored solutions. Subjects also rated appropriate color-odor combinations as most pleasant. However, this effect is probably due to the increase in identification accuracy of the appropriately colored solutions. In all three conditions, correctly identified odors were liked more than odors that were not correctly identified. Thus, color is an important perceptual variable in odor identification because it biases subjects toward a color category that facilitates identification if the color is "correct". This ability to identify an odor in turn influences the affective response to the odor.

Adult↗

Somatostatin administration alters taste preferences in the rat.

The effects of long-term and relatively constant concentrations of somatostatin (SRIF) were tested in rats to investigate its influence on taste preferences, fluid intake, and taste bud topography of the tongue. In SRIF-treated rats, intake of 3 x 10(-2) M NaCl and 6 x 10(-2) M sucrose solution decreased, whereas that of 3 x 10(-5) M quinine-HCl and 10(-3) M HCl (pH = 3) solutions increased significantly; distilled water intake and total fluid consumption remained almost unchanged. The light/dark cycle of consumption of NaCl solution was modified in a dose-dependent manner, but that of dwater, total fluids, and other solutions was not. Histologic exam by light microscopy showed that taste bud distribution on the tongue appeared to be altered, but the results only approached statistical significance. Given that it is possible to remove virtually all taste buds in the oral cavity and have only modest effects on preferences and aversion, it seems very unlikely that the small changes in taste bud distribution are related to the intake of sapid solutions. Since SRIF treatment influenced all sapid stimuli, it seems more likely that the changes are based on a blunted responsiveness in the gustatory system as a whole.

Acids↗

Taste responses and food preferences in obese women: effects of weight cycling.

Taste preferences for sensory stimuli composed of sugar and fat are predictive of some food preferences and may help distinguish between potential subtypes of human obesity. A sample of 37 obese females was divided into high-flux and low-flux groups according to the magnitude of fluctuations in body weight. Variability in body weight is thought to be indicative of the weight cycling syndrome. The subjects tasted and rated five sucrose solutions in water and nine ice creams of varying sugar and fat content. Perceptions and preferences for sweet solutions were the same for both groups. In contrast, the high-flux group showed higher preferences for ice cream stimuli than did the low-flux group. High-flux females also rated sweet desserts higher on a food preference questionnaire than did low-flux females. Prior consumption of milkshake pre-loads did not affect preference ratings for sweet solutions. However, hedonic preferences for ice creams after pre-load consumption were reduced in the high-flux group. The weight cycling syndrome may be associated with elevated hedonic preferences for sweet and high fat foods.

Adolescent↗

Decreased taste and smell acuity in cirrhosis.

The sensory modalities of taste and smell were evaluated in eight patients with cirrhosis that was proved by biopsy specimens and in 13 control subjects. Additionally, the following serum levels were determined in these same subjects: zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium, manganese, and selenium. Fourteen concentrations each of sucrose, sodium chloride, urea, and hydrochloric acid were used to evaluate taste acuity. Smell was evaluated with 11 concentrations each of nitrobenzene, thiophene, and pyridine. These studies show that decreased acuity of taste and smell occurred in conjunction with cirrhosis in the patients who were tested. There were no trace element abnormalities that consistently correlated with decreased acuity in perception of the individual test substances.

Adult↗

The combination effect of L-arginine and NaCl on bitterness suppression of amino acid solutions.

The purpose of the present study was to quantify the degree of suppression of the bitterness of two amino acids (L-isoleucine (L-Ile), and L-phenylalanine (L-Phe)) which could be achieved by the addition of various test chemicals, and to examine the mechanism of this bitterness suppression. The test chemicals used were two sweeteners (sucrose, aspartame), NaCl, various acidic (L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid), or basic (L-histidine, L-lysine and L-arginine) amino acids, tannic acid and phosphatidic acid. The combination of L-arginine (L-Arg) and NaCl together was the most effective in reducing the bitterness of 100 mM L-Ile and L-Phe solutions in human gustatory sensation tests. Even in bitterness of 0.1 mM quinine solution, L-Arg was also successful in reducing the bitterness. This bitterness-suppression effect was specific to L-Arg and not to the other basic amino acids. No comparable taste-masking effect was observed for the acidic amino acids. The artificial taste sensor failed to predict completely the bitterness-suppressing effect of L-Arg. It seems likely that the bitterness-suppressing effect of L-Arg is mediated not only by binding at the receptor site, but also elsewhere in the process of bitterness perception, such as a direct effect on the sodium channel. It is conjectured that the guanidinium group of L-Arg may interact with sodium channels in taste bud membranes.

Arginine↗

Taste- and odor-reactivity in heroin addicts.

Opiates in general, and heroin in particular, are known to induce compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior. Addiction is accompanied by psychobiological processes which may distort perception of sensory stimuli. Gustatory and olfactory stimuli are hedonically polarized and therefore most appropriate for the assessment of the organism's reactivity to "useful" and "harmful" chemosensory events. Previous studies revealed that psychophysical self-estimates and reflectory facial expressions mirror with comparable reliability the hedonics of the perceived taste and odor sensations. In the present study both cognitive verbal and reflectory facial expressions of a group of: a) heroin addicts were recorded and compared to those of a group of b) detoxified former addicts and to c) a group of matching controls. Results show that all three groups differentiate between pleasant, indifferent and aversive tastes and odors. Active addicts estimated sweet taste and savory smells as being somewhat more pleasant, and bitter and sour tastes and a putrid odor as less unpleasant than did the other two groups. The reflectory facial displays of addicts were less expressive and discriminative than those of the two other groups. Taste- and odor-induced facial displays are known to be controlled primarily by the brainstem. The findings indicate that heroin-addiction affects brain-mechanisms, which mirror taste- and odor-hedonics. Modulation of the phylogenetically ancient, sensory-motor coordinations was found to be of a different pattern than that of the cortically-controlled cognitive reactions.

Adult↗

Limited period of actin of testosterone on memory formation in the chick.

Domestic chicks will normally peck readily at small colored beads. However, a peck at a bead with an unpleasant taste usually results in a long-lasting aversion to beads of that type. If prior experience ("pretraining") of a bead of the type that is to be used in a later aversive training trial is given to testosterone-treated chicks, it interferes with the retention of avoidance. Interference by pretraining is effective only within sharply defined periods of time: when the pretraining-training interval is either less than 2 min (short term) or greater than about 25 min (long term). When pretraining and training are separated by 90 min or more, the steroid can be effective when injected up to 30 min after pretraining. It appears to change the character of the consolidating memory trace of pretraining in such a way as to make the consolidating memory trace of pretraining in such a way as to make the consolidation of later, contradictory information from training loss likely. The initial storage of this information is apparently unaffected, since retention does not begin to decay until 30-60 min after training. Sort-term interference leads to loss of avoidance within 5 min of training and can be used to demonstrate that the latency of action of the hormone in this task is less than 20 min following a subcutaneous injection.

Animals↗

Genetic markers and alcoholism.

Genetic markers are genetically determined characteristics that have been found to occur in association with some common disorders. In alcoholism, four types of genetic markers have been studied to determine their frequency compared with the general population frequency. The markers studied are blood groups and serum proteins, secretion of ABH blood group substance, phenylthiourea taste sensitivity, and color vision defects. There have been found to be significant associations between alcoholism and all the above markers apart from blood groups and serum proteins. However, the associations appear to result from acquired rather than inherited factors.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

Effects of priming thoughts about control on anxiety and food intake as moderated by dietary restraint.

The study was designed to examine: (a) if activating thoughts about control affects anxiety and food intake and (b) if those effects are moderated by dietary restraint. Eighty female undergraduates were administered the Dietary Restraint questionnaire and were primed for cognitions of control or of lack of control. The participants' perceptions of control over food consumption, their state anxiety, and their food intake as part of an alleged taste-test, were assessed. As evidence for the effectiveness of priming, participants reported less control over food consumption after being primed for lack of control than for control cognitions. As expected, Restraint score was negatively correlated with perceived control over food consumption. Consistent with hypothesis, participants high in dietary restraint experienced greater anxiety after being primed for control than after priming for lack of control, whereas participants low in dietary restraint displayed the opposite pattern. These findings were consistent with the cognitive dissonance principle that individuals experience greater anxiety when cognitions are inconsistent with personal beliefs than when they are consistent. As expected, priming thoughts of lack of control resulted in greater food intake than did priming thoughts of control, supporting the hypothesis of a nonconscious, automatic link between cognitions and food intake.

Adult↗

Valid across-group comparisons with labeled scales: the gLMS versus magnitude matching.

Labeled scales are commonly used for across-group comparisons. The labels consist of adjective/adverb intensity descriptors (e.g., "very strong"). The relative distances among descriptors are essentially constant but the absolute perceived intensities they denote vary with the domain to which they are applied (e.g., a "very strong" rose odor is weaker than a "very strong" headache), as if descriptors were printed on an elastic ruler that compresses or expands to fit the domain of interest. Variation in individual experience also causes the elastic ruler to compress or expand. Taste varies genetically: supertasters perceive the most intense tastes; nontasters, the weakest; and medium tasters, intermediate tastes. Taste intensity descriptors on conventional-labeled scales denote different absolute perceived intensities to the three groups making comparisons across the groups invalid. Magnitude matching provides valid comparisons by asking subjects to express tastes relative to a standard not related to taste (e.g., supertasters match tastes to louder sounds than do nontasters). Borrowing the logic of magnitude matching, we constructed a labeled scale using descriptors unrelated to taste. We reasoned that expressing tastes on a scale labeled in terms of all sensory experience might work. We generalized an existing scale, the Labeled Magnitude Scale (LMS), by placing the label "strongest imaginable sensation of any kind" at the top. One hundred subjects rated tastes and tones using the generalized LMS (gLMS) and magnitude matching. The two methods produced similar results suggesting that the gLMS is valid for taste comparisons across nontasters, medium tasters, and supertasters.

Adult↗

Differential use of food and water cues in the formation of conditioned aversions by domestic chicks (Gallus gallus).

The differential use of cues in the formation of conditioned aversions to food and water by domestic chicks was examined. Aversions were more readily demonstrated to red food than to red water, and taste was found to be an adequate cue with water but not with food (Experiments 1-5). It is suggested that such asymmetry mitigates the usefulness of the concept of "belongingness" and can more profitably be viewed as a function of the particular response topographies adopted with respect to food and water. The sixth experiment demonstrated that aversions for colored water could be readily demonstrated when the response topography for drinking was manipulated to ensure the utility of visual cues in selecting fluids. These findings are discussed with respect to a general process approach to conditioned aversion learning.

Animals↗

Discovery and structure determination of a novel Maillard-derived sweetness enhancer by application of the comparative taste dilution analysis (cTDA).

Application of a novel screening procedure, the comparative taste dilution analysis (cTDA), on the non-solvent-extractable reaction products formed in a thermally processed aqueous solution of glucose and l-alanine led to the discovery of the presence of a sweetness-enhancing Maillard reaction product. Isolation, followed by LC-MS and 1D- and 2D-NMR measurements, and synthesis led to its unequivocal identification as N-(1-carboxyethyl)-6-(hydroxymethyl)pyridinium-3-ol inner salt. This so-called alapyridaine, although being tasteless itself, is the first nonvolatile, sweetness-enhancing Maillard reaction product reported in the literature. Depending on the pH value, the detection thresholds of sweet sugars, amino acids, and aspartame, respectively, were found to be significantly decreased when alapyridaine was present; for example, the threshold of glucose decreased by a factor of 16 in an equimolar mixture of glucose and alapyridaine. Studies on the influence of the stereochemistry on taste-enhancing activity revealed that the (+)-(S)-alapyridaine is the physiologically active enantiomer, whereas the (-)-(R)-enantiomer did not affect sweetness perception at all. Thermal processing of aqueous solutions of alapyridaine at 80 degrees C demonstrated a high thermal and hydrolytic stability of that sweetness enhancer; for example, more than 90 or 80% of alapyridaine was recovered when heated for 5 h at pH 7.0, 5.0, or 3.0, respectively.

Alanine↗

Hyperglycaemia affects proximal gastric motor and sensory function in normal subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Hyperglycaemia delays gastric emptying in normal subjects and patients with diabetes mellitus by uncertain mechanisms and may affect the perception of somatic sensations. The effects of hyperglycaemia on the motor function of the proximal stomach and the perception of gastric distension were evaluated in normal subjects. DESIGN: Paired studies were performed in randomized order in 10 healthy volunteers on separate days during euglycaemia and hyperglycaemia (blood glucose approximately equal to 15 mmol/l). METHODS: With a barostat and a balloon positioned in the proximal stomach, tasting subjects underwent a stepwise gastric distension. Each 2 mmHg step was maintained at a constant pressure for 2 min. The volume of the barostat balloon was measured and perception of the sensations of fullness, desire to belch, nausea, abdominal discomfort and hunger was scored at each step. RESULTS: Hyperglycaemia was associated with an increase in proximal gastric compliance (P < 0.01) evident from 2 mmHg above basal intragastric pressure. Perception scores for the sensations of nausea and desire to belch were greater during hyperglycaemia than euglycaemia (P < 0.05) in relation to both pressure at each step and volume. Hyperglycaemia did not affect perception of the sensations of abdominal discomfort, fullness or hunger. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperglycaemia increases proximal gastric compliance, reflecting a reduction in gastric tone. This may contribute to the previously observed delay in gastric emptying associated with hyperglycaemia. Hyperglycaemia appears to increase the perception of some of the sensations induced by gastric distension.

Abdominal Pain↗