University of Miami JNeurosci Study in Mice: Sour Taste Suppresses Sweet, Bitter and Salty Signals via Serotonin Before Taste Signals Reach the Brain
Neuroscientists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have found that taste signals are already processed before they reach the brain. In mouse experiments, sour taste suppresses signals for sweet, bitter and salty tastes via serotonin. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience (JNeurosci).
The study shows that sour taste receptor cells release serotonin when activated by acid, inhibiting the transmission of sweet, bitter and salty signals to the brain. The researchers describe this as a "cocktail party effect" for taste: when multiple tastes are present at once, sour taste allows the brain to prioritize detecting whether food has gone sour or is safe, rather than being overwhelmed by other flavors. The team notes that it was previously thought that the five basic tastes travel via independent pathways and are integrated only in the brain, whereas the new findings show integration begins in the tongue.
The team next plans to investigate whether the sour-suppressing effect changes in obesity, diabetes and aging, and to explore whether the mechanism can be leveraged to improve appetite and eating behavior.
图中是舌头与味蕾的示意呈现，本研究测量味觉信号从舌头传向大脑的过程。
Source: University of Miami
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图为舌头与味蕾示意部位图。Saurabh R. Patil, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
