A new study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute reveals that the brain interprets certain smells as actual tastes, processing them early in what is called the “gustatory cortex”—before the signals reach brain regions related to emotion and behavior. This discovery could open new avenues for obesity treatment.
Published in Nature Communications, the study explains that when we eat or drink, what we perceive as “flavor” is not just taste, but a full sensory experience. Flavor arises from the combination of taste and smells that reach the nose through the mouth, a phenomenon known as retro-nasal olfaction.
Researchers found that the gustatory cortex responds to smells associated with flavor in the same way it responds to real taste. This explains why sugar-free flavored drinks can sometimes taste sweet.
According to Boto Agus Khurisantono, the lead researcher, “The gustatory cortex responded to flavor-associated smells as if they were actual tastes. This highlights the strong integration of smell and taste in making food enjoyable and may explain why certain odors trigger cravings or overeating.”
The experiment involved 25 healthy adults, who first learned to distinguish between sweet and salty tastes through a combination of tasting and smelling. They then underwent functional MRI (fMRI) scans while exposed to either flavor without taste or taste without smell.
Using a special algorithm, researchers identified brain activity patterns associated with both taste and smell. The results showed that smells perceived as sweet or salty activated the same brain regions as actual taste, particularly areas responsible for integrating sensory impressions.
This discovery could be applied in strategies to control cravings and reduce overeating, potentially offering new tools in the fight against obesity.
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