A new study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute has revealed that the brain interprets certain smells as if they were actual tastes—and even processes them early in the so-called “gustatory cortex,” before signals reach brain regions linked to emotion and behavior. This discovery could open new avenues for treating obesity.
The study, published in Nature Communications, explains that when we eat or drink, we don’t perceive “taste” alone but rather a complete experience called “flavor,” which arises from the interaction between taste and smells that reach the nose through the mouth—an effect known as retronasal olfaction.
Researchers discovered that the gustatory cortex responds to taste-related odors in the same way it responds to real tastes, which explains why sugar-free flavored drinks can sometimes seem sweet.
Lead researcher Boto Agus Horesantono noted that “the gustatory cortex responded to odors associated with taste as though they were actual flavors. This highlights the powerful integration between smell and taste in making food enjoyable, and may explain why certain odors strongly trigger cravings or overeating.”
The experiment involved 25 healthy adults who were first trained to distinguish between sweet and salty tastes using a combination of taste and smell. Participants then underwent functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans while being exposed either to a flavor without taste or a taste without odor.
Using a special algorithm, the researchers identified brain activity patterns linked to the two taste types and then associated them with odors alone.
Results showed that odors perceived as sweet or salty activated the same brain regions as real taste stimuli and produced similar activity patterns—particularly in areas responsible for integrating sensory impressions. This suggests that manipulating these sensory interactions could one day help manage obesity.
Post a Comment