MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Chemical Senses' source. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:31:38 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658894&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22302155%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lim J, Johnson MB Abstract Referral of retronasal odors to the mouth is a fundamental phenomenon of flavor perception. A previous study from this laboratory provided evidence that, contrary to prior speculation, taste rather than touch was the primary factor in retronasal odor referral. The present study further investigated this question by studying the role of congruency between taste and odor on retronasal odor referral under conditions that mimicked natural food consumption. Subjects performed odor localization tasks after sampling gelatin stimuli that contained various congruent and incongruent tastes-odor combinations. The results showed that when a congruent taste was added, referral to the oral cavity and tongue were significantly enhanced. In addition, the data al... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658894 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658893&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22302156%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bautze V, Bär R, Fissler B, Trapp M, Schmidt D, Beifuss U, Bufe B, Zufall F, Breer H, Strotmann J Abstract The capacity of the mammalian olfactory system to detect an enormous collection of different chemical compounds is based on a large repertoire of odorant receptors (ORs). A small group of these ORs, the OR37 family, is unique due to a variety of special features. Members of this subfamily are exclusively found in mammals, they share a high degree of sequence homology and are highly conserved during evolution. It is still elusive which odorants may activate these atypical receptors. We have reasoned that compounds from skin, hairs, or skin glands might be potential candidates. We have exposed mice to such compounds and monitored activation of glomeruli through the exp... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658893 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658896&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22293936%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ishiwatari Y, Bachmanov AA Abstract Molecular mechanisms of salty taste in mammals are not completely understood. We use genetic approaches to study these mechanisms. Previously, we developed a high-throughput procedure to measure NaCl taste thresholds, which involves conditioning mice to avoid LiCl and then examining avoidance of NaCl solutions presented in 48-h 2-bottle preference tests. Using this procedure, we measured NaCl taste thresholds of mice from 13 genealogically divergent inbred stains: 129P3/J, A/J, BALB/cByJ, C3H/HeJ, C57BL/6ByJ, C57BL/6J, CBA/J, CE/J, DBA/2J, FVB/NJ, NZB/BlNJ, PWK/PhJ, and SJL/J. We found substantial strain variation in NaCl taste thresholds: mice from the A/J and 129P3/J strains had high thresholds (were less sensitive), whereas mice from ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658896 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658895&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22293937%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wise PM, Wysocki CJ, Lundström JN Abstract Both the olfactory and the trigeminal systems are able to respond to intranasal presentations of chemical vapor. Accordingly, when the nose detects a volatile chemical, it is often unclear whether we smell it, feel it, or both. The distinction may often be unimportant in our everyday perception of fragrances or aromas, but it can matter in experiments that purport to isolate olfactory processes or study the interaction between olfaction and chemesthesis. Researchers turn to a small pool of compounds that are believed to be "pure olfactory" stimuli with little or no trigeminal impact. The current report reexamines one such commonly used compound, namely eugenol, a flavor and fragrance ingredient that has anesthetic properties unde... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658895 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658895 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658900&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22281529%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we have investigated how the function of native and recombinant nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) is modulated by the monoterpenoid alcohol from peppermint (-) menthol. In trigeminal neurons (TG), we found that nicotine (75 μM)-activated whole-cell currents through nAChRs were reversibly reduced by menthol in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC(50) of 111 μM. To analyze the mechanism underlying menthol's action in more detail, we used single channel and whole-cell recordings from recombinant human α4β2 nAChR expressed in HEK tsA201 cells. Here, we found a shortening of channel open time and a prolongation of channel closed time, and an increase in single channel amplitude leading in summary to a reduction in single channel current. Furthermore, menthol d... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658900 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658899&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22281530%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Loney GC, Torregrossa AM, Carballo C, Eckel LA Abstract Rats can be classified as either sucralose avoiders (SA) or sucralose preferrers (SP) based on their behavioral responses in 2-bottle preference, 1-bottle intake, and brief-access licking tests. The present study demonstrates that this robust phenotypic variation in the preference for sucralose predicts acceptance of saccharin, an artificial sweetener with a purported concentration-dependent "bitter" side taste and a 0.25 M sucrose solution adulterated with increasing concentrations of quinine hydrochloride (QHCl). Specifically, SA displayed decreased preference for and intakes of saccharin (≥41.5 mM) and sucrose-QHCl (>0.5 mM QHCl) solutions, relative to SP. In a second experiment involving brief-access (30-s) t... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658899 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658898&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22281531%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bennett SM, Hayes JE Abstract Chemesthetic sensations elicited by ibuprofen, extra-virgin olive oil, and capsaicin were compared to quantify perceptual differences between known agonists of TRPA1 and TRPV1. Extra virgin olive oil contains a phenolic compound, oleocanthal, which is thought to share unique chemesthetic qualities with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen. Pilot work suggested participants had difficulty distinguishing between multiple chemesthetic subqualities (e.g., burn, sting, itch, tickle, etc.) in a multiattribute rating task. Here, we assessed overall irritation via direct scaling, and a check all that apply task was used to collect information about chemesthetic subqualities over time. Replicated ratings were collected at discrete interva... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658898 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658897&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22281532%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhukovskaya MI Abstract Olfactory receptor cells in insects are modulated by neurohormones. Recordings from cockroach olfactory sensilla showed that a subset of sensory neurons increase their responses to selected nonpheromone odorants after octopamine application. With octopamine application, recordings demonstrated increased firing rates by the short but not the long alcohol-sensitive sensilla to the nonpheromone volatile, hexan-1-ol. Within the same sensillum, individual receptor cells are shown to be modulated independently from each other, indicating that the octopamine receptors reside in the receptor not in the accessory cells. A uniform decrease in the amplitude of electroantennogram, which is odorant independent, is suggested to reflect the rise in octopamine conc... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658897 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5658901&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22267652%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lundström JN, Gordon AR, Wise P, Frasnelli J Abstract Taste, smell, and chemical irritation (so-called trigeminal sensation) combine in our daily experience to produce the supramodal sensation of flavor, are processed by partly overlapping neural mechanisms, and show functional interconnectivity in experiments. Given their collaboration in flavor formation and the well-established connections between these senses, it is plausible that polymodal detection mechanisms might contribute to individual differences in measured sensitivity. One would expect the existence of a general chemosensory sensitivity factor to result in associations among taste, smell, and trigeminal stimulation thresholds. Measures of 5 detection thresholds from all the chemical senses were assessed in th... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5658901 Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5658901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5621061&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22248457%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined CDP effects on licking for normally accepted and avoided taste solutions across a range of concentrations. The effect of CDP (10 mg/kg) versus saline on the licking patterns of water-restricted rats for water and 3 concentrations of sucrose, saccharin, NaCl, monosodium glutamate (MSG), citric acid, and quinine (Q-HCl) solutions was evaluated during 1 h tests. CDP increased meal size for all tastants except citric acid. Analysis of licking microstructure revealed 3 dissociable effects of CDP. CDP affected oromotor coordination as indicated by a uniform increase in the modal interlick interval for all stimuli. CDP increased meal size as indicated by shorter pauses during consumption of water, MSG, and weaker saccharin concentrations, and by fewer long interlick intervals (250-200... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5621061 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5621061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5599526&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22230170%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Baker TC, Domingue MJ, Myrick AJ Abstract We are proposing that the "relative" abundances of the differently tuned pheromone-component-responsive olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) on insect antennae are not a result of natural selection working to maximize absolute sensitivity to individual pheromone components. Rather, relative abundances are a result of specifically tuned sensillum-plus-ORN units having been selected to accurately transduce and report to the antennal lobe the maximal ranges of molecular flux imparted by each pheromone component in every plume strand. To not reach saturating stimulus flux levels from the most concentrated plume strands of a pheromone blend, the dendritic surface area of the ORN type that is tuned to the most abundant component of a pherom... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5599526 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5599526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5599525&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22230171%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Masaoka Y, Sugiyama H, Katayama A, Kashiwagi M, Homma I Abstract An important feature of olfactory perception is its dependence on respiratory activity. By inspiration, olfactory information ascends directly to olfactory-related limbic structures. Therefore, every breath with odor molecules activates these limbic areas associated with emotional experience and memory retrieval. We tested whether odors associated with autobiographical memories can trigger pleasant emotional experiences and whether respiration changes during stimulation with these odors. During presentation of odors related to autobiographical memories and control odors, we measured minute ventilation, tidal volume, respiratory frequency, O(2) consumption, and end tidal CO(2) concentration. Findings showed th... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5599525 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5599525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533871&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22190545%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Meyerhof W PMID: 22190545 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533871 Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:30:19 +0100 5533871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5513112&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22167271%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gayoso J, Castro A, Anadón R, Manso MJ Abstract The olfactory mucosa of the zebrafish consists of 3 morphological types of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs): ciliated, microvillous, and crypt cells. Previous studies in the zebrafish have revealed differential projections of ciliated and microvillous ORNs, which project to different glomerular fields. However, the bulbar targets of zebrafish crypt cells were not identified. Here, we analyze the relationship between crypt cells of the olfactory epithelium and dorsal glomerular fields of the zebrafish olfactory bulbs, as wells as the connections between these bulbar regions and forebrain regions. For this purpose, a lipophilic carbocyanine tracer (DiI) was used in fixed tissue. Application of DiI to the dorsomedial glomerula... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5513112 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5513112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5513111&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22167272%26dopt%3DAbstract Effect of "Rose Essential Oil" Inhalation on Stress-Induced Skin-Barrier Disruption in Rats and Humans. Chem Senses. 2011 Dec 13; Authors: Fukada M, Kano E, Miyoshi M, Komaki R, Watanabe T Abstract In stressed animals, several brain regions (e.g., hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus [PVN]) exhibit neuronal activation, which increases plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and glucocorticoids. We previously reported that so-called "green odor" inhibits stress-induced activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA axis) and thereby prevents the chronic stress-induced disruption of the skin barrier. Here, we investigated whether rose essential oil, another sedative odorant, inhibits the stress-induced 1) increases in PVN neuronal activity in rats and plas... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5513111 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5513111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5455526&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22109629%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined the importance of stimulus temperature and water-restriction state on the preference for and intake of water and sucrose. Using custom-designed equipment that allows us to monitor and maintain solution temperatures during testing (±0.1 °C), we conducted a series of 2-bottle preference tests (10 °C water vs. sucrose 10-40 °C) and brief access tests (10-40 °C water and sucrose). Water-restricted rats preferred cold water over any sucrose concentration (0.0-1.0 M) if the sucrose was 30 or 40 °C, whereas the same rats preferred sucrose at all concentrations and temperatures when unrestricted suggesting that the water-restriction state interacts with temperature preference. In a series of brief-access tests using a Davis Rig (MS-180), rats reduced licking to cold sucrose compa... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5455526 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5455526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5455527&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22104031%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kiemnec-Tyburczy KM, Woodley SK, Watts RA, Arnold SJ, Houck LD Abstract G-protein-coupled receptors are responsible for binding to chemosensory cues and initiating responses in vertebrate olfactory neurons. We investigated the genetic diversity and expression of one family of G-protein-coupled receptors in a terrestrial caudate amphibian (the red-legged salamander, Plethodon shermani). We used degenerate RT-PCR to isolate vomeronasal type 2 receptors (V2Rs)-including full-length sequences-and compared them with other vertebrate V2Rs with phylogenetic analyses. We also amplified a salamander G(olf), a G-protein usually expressed in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) of vertebrates, and an ion channel expressed in the rodent vomeronasal organ: trpc2. We then localized mRNA ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5455527 Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5455527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5419420&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22086902%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Soares S, Sousa A, Mateus N, de Freitas V Abstract Astringency has been defined as a group of sensations involving dryness, tightening, and shrinking of the oral surface. It has been accepted that astringency is due to the tannin-induced interaction and/or precipitation of the salivary proline-rich proteins (PRPs) in the oral cavity, as a result of the ingestion of food products rich in tannins, for example, red wine. The sensory evaluation of astringency is difficult, and the existence of fast and reliable methods to its study in vitro is scarce. So, in this work, the astringency of red wine supplemented with oligomeric procyanidins (condensed tannins), and the salivary proteins (SP) involved in its development were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography anal... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5419420 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5419420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5419421&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22080043%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bertin A, Calandreau L, Arnould C, Lévy F Abstract Like mammals, bird embryos are capable of chemosensory learning, but the ontogeny of their feeding preferences has not been examined. We tested if the timing of stimulation in chicken embryos modulates the impact of in ovo olfactory stimulation on later food preferences. We exposed chicken embryos to an olfactory stimulus for a 4-day period in the middle or toward the end of the incubation period. The chicks were tested for their preference between foods with and without the olfactory stimulus in 3-min choice tests and on a 24-h time scale. Regardless of the type of food (familiar or novel) or the duration of the test, the control chicks not exposed to the olfactory stimulus consistently showed significant preferences for... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5419421 Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5419421 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5419422&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075720%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Marks LE, Veldhuizen MG, Shepard TG, Shavit AY Abstract Odorants and flavorants typically contain many components. It is generally easier to detect multicomponent stimuli than to detect a single component, through either neural integration or probability summation (PS) (or both). PS assumes that the sensory effects of 2 (or more) stimulus components (e.g., gustatory and olfactory components of a flavorant) are detected in statistically independent channels, that each channel makes a separate decision whether a component is detected, and that the behavioral response depends solely on the separate decisions. Models of PS traditionally assume high thresholds for detecting each component, noise being irrelevant. The core assumptions may be adapted, however, to signal-detection... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5419422 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5419422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5379558&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22045704%26dopt%3DAbstract The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of olfactory impairment and associated risk factors and the effects of olfactory impairment on dietary choices and quality of life. Odor identification was measured in 2838 participants aged 21-84 years (mean 49 years) in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study. The overall prevalence of olfactory impairment was 3.8%, increased with age (from 0.6% in those <35 years to 13.9% among those ≥65 years) and was more common in men than women. In a multivariate model age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33, 1.64 for every 5-year increase), nasal polyps or deviated septum (OR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.62, 4.48), ankle-brachial index < 0.9 (OR = 3.62, 95% CI = 1.45, 9.01), and smoking (women only) (OR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.19,... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5379558 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5379558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5379561&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22038943%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Richgels PK, Rollmann SM Abstract Chemoreception is a principle modality by which organisms gain information from their environment, and extensive variation in odor-mediated behavior has been documented within and among species. To examine the mechanisms by which sensory systems mediate these responses, we ask to what extent variation in Drosophila melanogaster odorant receptor genes contributes to variation in odor-mediated behavior. Significant differences in behavioral responses to structurally similar odorants, methyl hexanoate and ethyl hexanoate, were found in a natural population. Polymorphisms in 3 genomic regions (Or22a/Or22b, Or35a, and Or47a) were identified and associated with variation in behavior to these esters. Overall similarity in association profiles for... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5379561 Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5379561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5379560&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22038944%26dopt%3DAbstract We report here that crypt neurons, the third type of olfactory neurons in fish species, use an even more restricted mode of expression. We recently identified a novel olfactory receptor family of 6 highly conserved G protein-coupled receptors, the v1r-like ora genes. We show now that a single member of this family, ora4 is expressed in nearly all crypt neurons, whereas the other 5 ora genes are not found in this cell type. Consistent with these findings, ora4 is never coexpressed with any of the remaining 5 ora genes. Furthermore, several lines of evidence indicate the absence of any other olfactory receptor families in crypt neurons. These results suggest that the vast majority of the crypt neuron population may select one and the same olfactory receptor gene, a "one cell type-one recepto... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5379560 Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5379560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5379559&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22038945%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ludy MJ, Moore GE, Mattes RD Abstract Consumption of spicy foods containing capsaicin, the major pungent principle in hot peppers, reportedly promotes negative energy balance. However, many individuals abstain from spicy foods due to the sensory burn and pain elicited by the capsaicin molecule. A potential alternative for nonusers of spicy foods who wish to exploit this energy balance property is consumption of nonpungent peppers rich in capsiate, a recently identified nonpungent capsaicin analog contained in CH-19 Sweet peppers. Capsiate activates transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) receptors in the gut but not in the oral cavity. This paper critically evaluates current knowledge on the thermogenic and appetitive effects of capsaicin and capsiate from... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5379559 Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5379559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5379562&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22016481%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tomonari H, Miura H, Nakayama A, Matsumura E, Ooki M, Ninomiya Y, Harada S Abstract To clarify the regional differences in the expression and functional significance of Gα-gustducin in soft palate (SP) and fungiform (FF) taste buds, we examined the coexpression of Gα-gustducin with taste receptors and the impact of Gα-gustducin knockout (gKO) on neural responses to several sweet and bitter compounds. Sweet responses from both the greater superficial petrosal (GSP) and chorda tympani (CT) nerves in gKO mice were markedly depleted, reflecting overlapping expression of Gα-gustducin and Tas1r2. However, although Gα-gustducin was expressed in 87% and 88% of Tas2rs cells in the SP and FF, respectively, there were no statistically significant differences in the CT responses ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5379562 Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5379562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5379563&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21994412%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sato T, Nishishita K, Okada Y, Toda K Abstract A possibility of efferent innervation of gustatory and mechanosensitive afferent fiber endings was studied in frog fungiform papillae with a suction electrode. The amplitude of antidromic impulses in a papillary afferent fiber induced by antidromically stimulating an afferent fiber of glossopharyngeal nerve (GPN) with low voltage pulses was inhibited for 40 s after the parasympathetic efferent fibers of GPN were stimulated orthodromically with high voltage pulses at 30 Hz for 10 s. This implies that electrical positivity of the outer surface of papillary afferent membrane was reduced by the efferent fiber-induced excitatory postsynaptic potential. The inhibition of afferent responses in the papillae was blocked by substance P ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5379563 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5379563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5379564&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21987728%26dopt%3DAbstract This study reports the results of conditioned aversion studies designed to motivate wild-type (WT) and KO mice to respond to sweet substances. In conditioned taste aversion experiments, WT mice showed nearly complete LiCl-induced response suppression to sucrose and SC45647. In contrast, TRPM5 KO mice showed a much smaller conditioned aversion to either sweet substance, suggesting a compromised, but not absent, ability to detect sweet taste. A subsequent conditioned flavor aversion experiment was conducted to determine if TRPM5 KO mice were impaired in their ability to learn a conditioned aversion. In this experiment, KO and WT mice were conditioned to a mixture of SC45647 and amyl acetate (an odor cue). Although WT mice avoided both components of the stimulus mixture, they avoided SC45647 ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5379564 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5379564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296658&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21976369%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Abraham MH, Sánchez-Moreno R, Cometto-Muñiz JE, Cain WS Abstract One hundred and ninety three odor detection thresholds, ODTs, obtained by Nagata using the Japanese triangular bag method can be correlated as log (1/ODT) by a linear equation with R(2) = 0.748 and a standard deviation, SD, of 0.830 log units; the latter may be compared with our estimate of 0.66 log units for the self-consistency of Nagata's data. Aldehydes, acids, unsaturated esters, and mercaptans were included in the equation through indicator variables that took into account the higher potency of these compounds. The ODTs obtained by Cometto-Muñiz and Cain, by Cometto-Muñiz and Abraham, and by Hellman and Small could be put on the same scale as those of Nagata to yield a linear equation for 353 ODTs w... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296658 Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5246467&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21934100%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zucco GM, Aiello L, Turuani L, Köster E Abstract Odors are powerful in bringing back old and vivid memories bearing emotional content. This inherent hedonic property of olfactory stimuli makes this sensory modality particularly suitable for studying autobiographical memory. In the present work, adolescents (first experiment), young adults (second experiment), and elderly (third experiment) of both sexes were asked to smell 10 familiar odorants and to report if these odorants evoked personal autobiographical memories or referential memories (i.e., names and objects). The participants were then required to link these memories to triplets of words using the progressive elaboration method of the Loci mnemonic. The aim of the study was to investigate whether 1) odorants evokin... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5246467 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5246467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218782&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21890837%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kurogi M, Miyashita M, Emoto Y, Kubo Y, Saitoh O Abstract A characteristic astringent taste is elicited by polyphenols. Among the polyphenols, catechins and their polymers are the most abundant polyphenols in wine and tea. A typical green tea polyphenol is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Currently, the mechanism underlying the sensation of astringent taste is not well understood. We observed by calcium imaging that the mouse intestinal endocrine cell line STC-1 responds to the astringent compound, EGCG. Among major catechins of green tea, EGCG was most effective at eliciting a response in this cell line. This cellular response was not observed in HEK293T or 3T3 cells. Further analyses demonstrated that the 67-kDa laminin receptor, a known EGCG receptor, is not directly in... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218782 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5175228&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21873604%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Barkat S, Le Berre E, Coureaud G, Sicard G, Thomas-Danguin T Abstract Our olfactory system is confronted with complex mixtures of odorants, often recognized as single entities due to odor blending (e.g., coffee). In contrast, we are also able to discriminate odors from complex mixtures (e.g., off-odors). Therefore, the olfactory system is able to engage either configural or elemental processes when confronted with mixtures. However, the rules that govern the involvement of these processes during odor perception remain poorly understood. In our first experiment, we examined whether simple odorant mixtures (binary/ternary) could elicit configural perception. Twenty untrained subjects were asked to evaluate the odor typicality of mixtures and their constituents. The results r... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5175228 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5175228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5175230&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21868624%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Galindo MM, Voigt N, Stein J, van Lengerich J, Raguse JD, Hofmann T, Meyerhof W, Behrens M Abstract In contrast to carbohydrates and proteins, which are detected by specialized taste receptors in the forms of their respective building blocks, sugars, and L-amino acids, the third macronutrient, lipids, has until now not been associated with gustatory receptors. Instead, the recognition of fat stimuli was believed to rely mostly on textural, olfactory, and postingestive cues. During the recent years, however, research done mainly in rodent models revealed an additional gustatory component for the detection of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), the main taste-activating component of lipids. Concomitantly, a number of candidate fat taste receptors were proposed to be involved in ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5175230 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5175230 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5175229&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21873273%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dsamou M, Palicki O, Septier C, Chabanet C, Lucchi G, Ducoroy P, Chagnon MC, Morzel M Abstract The interindividual variation in the sensitivity to bitterness is attributed in part to genetic polymorphism at the taste receptor level, but other factors, such as saliva composition, might be involved. In order to investigate this, 2 groups of subjects (hyposensitive, hypersensitive) were selected from 29 healthy male volunteers based on their detection thresholds for caffeine, and their salivary proteome composition was compared. Abundance of 26 of the 255 spots detected on saliva electrophoretic patterns was significantly different between hypo- and hypersensitive subjects. Saliva of hypersensitive subjects contained higher levels of amylase fragments, immunoglobulins, and se... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5175229 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5175229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157202&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21852708%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Crisinel AS, Spence C Abstract Odors are notoriously difficult to describe, but they seem prone to a variety of crossmodal associations. In the present study, we generalize the previously-shown association between odors (from perfumery) and pitch (Belkin et al. 1997) to odors related to food and drink (in this case those associated with wine). We also demonstrate that, to a lesser extent (25% of the odor tested), participants preferentially match specific odors to certain types of instruments. The ratings of the odors along a number of dimensions are used in principal components analysis (PCA) to explore the psychological dimensions underlying the odor-pitch associations. The results demonstrate that both pleasantness and complexity, but not intensity, appear to play a rol... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157202 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157201&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21852709%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we identify and express 2 OBPs from the scarab beetle, Holotrichia oblita Faldermann (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). HoblOBP1 shows more similarities with other scarab beetle OBPs, whereas HoblOBP2 is more diverse. N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine (1-NPN) is used as a fluorescent probe in ligand-binding experiment, and results indicate that both HoblOBPs prefer plant volatiles to putative H. oblita sex pheromones. HoblOBP1 shows binding affinity to a wider range of test compounds, but HoblOBP2 displays more specific binding affinity. Cinnamaldehyde and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol bind to HoblOBP1 can elicit strong electrophysiological responses of the antennae from female H. oblita adults, respectively. Methyl salicylate also shows good affinity to HoblOBP2 and it can elicit moderate electr... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157201 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5098521&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21778519%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Miklavc P, Valentincic T Amino acids reliably evoke strong responses in fish olfactory system. The molecular olfactory receptors (ORs) are located in the membrane of cilia and microvilli of the olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). Axons of ORNs converge on specific olfactory bulb (OB) glomeruli and the neural responses of ORNs expressing single Ors activate glomerular activity patterns typical for each amino acid. Chemically similar amino acids activate more similar glomerular activity patterns then chemically different amino acids. Differential glomerular activity patterns are the structural basis for amino acid perception and discrimination. We studied olfactory discrimination in zebrafish Danio rerio (Hamilton 1822) by conditioning them to respond to each of the following ami... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5098521 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5098521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5098520&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21798850%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Campagna S, Mardon J, Celerier A, Bonadonna F During the past 2 decades, considerable progress has been made in the study of bird semiochemistry, and our goal was to review and evaluate this literature with particular emphasis on the volatile organic constituents. Indeed, since the importance of social chemosignaling in birds is becoming more and more apparent, the search for molecules involved in chemical communication is of critical interest. These molecules can be found in different sources that include uropygial gland secretions, feather-surface compounds, and molecules from feces and skin. Although many studies have examined the chemical substances secreted by birds, research on bird chemical communication is still at the start, so new strategies for collecting samples an... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5098520 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5098520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5098519&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21798851%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Green BG, Nachtigal D, Hammond S, Lim J Psychophysical studies of interactions between retronasal olfaction and taste have focused most often on the enhancement of tastes by odors, which has been attributed primarily to a response bias (i.e., halo dumping). Based upon preliminary evidence that retronasal odors could also be enhanced by taste, the present study measured both forms of enhancement using appropriate response categories. In the first experiment, subjects rated taste ("sweet," "sour," "salty," and "bitter") and odor ("other") intensity for aqueous samples of 3 tastants (sucrose, NaCl, and citric acid) and 3 odorants (vanillin, citral, and furaneol), both alone and in taste-odor mixtures. The results showed that sucrose, but not the other taste stimuli, significantly... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5098519 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5098519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051863&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21765060%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dittli SM, Rao H, Tonelli M, Quijada J, Markley JL, Max M, Assadi-Porter F Brazzein, a 54 residue sweet-tasting protein, is thought to participate in a multipoint binding interaction with the sweet taste receptor. Proposed sites for interaction with the receptor include 2 surface loops and the disulfide bond that connects the N- and C-termini. However, the importance of each site is not well understood. To characterize the structural role of the termini in the sweetness of brazzein, the position of the disulfide bond connecting the N- and C-termini was shifted by substituting K3-C4-K5 with C3-K4-R5. The apparent affinity and V(max) of the C3-K4-R5-brazzein (CKR-brazzein) variant were only modestly decreased compared with the wild-type (WT) brazzein. We determined a high-resolu... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051863 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051864&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21745800%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liu D, Huang KJ, Zhang JX Individual recognition has been studied across a number of taxa and modalities; however, few attempts have been made to combine chemical and biological approaches and arrive at a more complete understanding of the use of secretions as signals. We combined behavioral habituation experiments with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of glandular secretions from the left and right flank gland and midventral gland of the rat-like hamster, Tscheskia triton. We found that females became habituated to one scent and then could discriminate individuals via another scent source from the same individual only when familiar with the scent donor. However, this prior social interaction was not required for females to discriminate different individuals in single-stim... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051864 Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051865&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21745799%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Solbu TT, Holen T The sense of smell is conveyed by the olfactory sensory neurons of the olfactory mucosa. Uniquely for sensory systems, the olfactory neurons directly face the external environment and are thus vulnerable to infections and changes in the airway surface liquid, but the surface liquid production and maintenance is not well understood. Here we show in rats and mice that Bowman's glands secrete the mucin MUC5AC. Aquaporin-5 was present at the apical face of the olfactory epithelium, completing a water transport pathway to the surface of the epithelium. Immunogold electron microscopy analysis revealed an intricate network of fine Aquaporin-1-positive fibroblast processes that surround Bowman's glands, whereas deeper blood vessels were unlabeled for Aquaporin-1. Our... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051865 Sat, 09 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051868&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21743094%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined the effects of chorda tympani (CT) nerve transection on NaCl taste preferences and thresholds in outbred CD-1 mice using a high-throughput phenotyping method developed in our laboratory. To measure taste thresholds, mice were conditioned by oral self-administration of LiCl or NaCl and then presented with NaCl concentration series in 2-bottle preference tests. LiCl-conditioned and control NaCl-exposed mice were given bilateral transections of the CT nerve (LiCl-CTX, NaCl-CTX) or were left intact as controls (LiCl-CNT, NaCl-CNT). After recovery from surgery, mice received a concentration series of NaCl (0-300 mM) in 48-h 2-bottle tests. CT transection increased NaCl taste thresholds in LiCl-conditioned mice and eliminated avoidance of concentrated NaCl in control NaCl-exposed mic... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051868 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051867&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21743095%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Burseg KM, Ly Lieu H, Bult JH Upon stimulation with continuously alternating (pulsatile) taste concentrations, humans report higher average taste intensities than for continuous stimulation with the same average tastant concentration. We investigated the effect of the magnitude of concentration changes (concentration contrast) and the effect of taste quality changes (quality contrast) between alternating tastants on sweet taste enhancement. The perceived sweetness intensity increased with the magnitude of the sucrose concentration contrast: The pulsatile stimulus with the highest concentration difference (average sucrose concentration: 60 g/L) was rated as the sweetest in spite of the fact that the gross sucrose concentrations were identical over stimuli. Moreover, this stimul... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051867 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051867 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051866&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21743096%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined the potential additive and interactive effects of 2 compounds (oleic acid and ergosterol) naturally found in femoral gland secretions of male rock lizards on chemosensory exploration behavior of females. Tongue-flick (TF) rates of females to male secretions may result from the combination of responses to multiple compounds. There may be an additive or synergetic effect because male secretions with the highest proportions of both compounds received the highest TF rates, suggesting that their scents were more intriguing. However, there might be an interactive effect too; female TF rates were higher to males' scent with high proportions of ergosterol alone, even if proportions of oleic acid were low, than to high proportions of oleic acid but with low proportions of ergosterol. Fu... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051866 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4959342&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21685407%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Veldhuizen MG, Small DM The insular cortex is implicated in general attention and in taste perception. The effect of selective attention to taste on insular responses may therefore reflect a general effect of attention or it may be (taste) modality specific. To distinguish between these 2 possibilities, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate brain response to tastes and odors while subjects passively sampled the stimuli or performed a detection task. We found that trying to detect a taste (attention to taste) resulted in activation of the primary taste cortex (anterior and mid-dorsal insula) but not in the primary olfactory cortex (piriform). In contrast, trying to detect an odor (attention to odor) increased activity in primary olfactory but not primary gus... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4959342 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4959342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4959343&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21680753%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dibattista M, Massimino ML, Maurya DK, Menini A, Bertoli A, Sorgato MC A conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is now recognized as the causal event of fatal neurodegenerative disorders, known as prion diseases. In spite of long-lasting efforts, however, the physiological role of PrP(C) remains unclear. It has been reported that PrP(C) is expressed in various areas of the olfactory system, including the olfactory epithelium, but its precise localization in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) is still debated. Here, using immunohistochemistry tools, we have reinvestigated the expression and localization of PrP(C) in the olfactory epithelium of adult congenic mice expressing different PrP(C) amounts, that is, wild-type, PrP-knockout, and transgenic PrP(C)... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4959343 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4959343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4959345&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21677030%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nichols AS, Chen S, Luetje CW Insect olfactory receptors are heteromeric ligand-gated ion channels composed of at least one common subunit (Orco) and at least one subunit that confers odorant specificity. Little is known about how individual subunits contribute to the structure and function of the olfactory receptor complex. We expressed insect olfactory receptors in Xenopus oocytes to investigate 2 functional features, ion channel block and odorant recognition. The sensitivity of Drosophila olfactory receptors to inhibition by ruthenium red, a cation channel blocker, varied widely when different specificity subunits were present, suggesting that the specificity subunits contribute to the structure of the ion pore. Olfactory receptors formed by Dmel\Or35a and Orco subunits fro... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4959345 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4959345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4959344&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21677031%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined the expression and localization of MCTs and GLUTs in the olfactory mucosa and found a stereotyped pattern of expression. ORNs exhibited GLUT1 labeling in soma, dendrites, and axon. SCs displayed GLUT1 labeling throughout their cell length, whereas MCT1 and GLUT3 localize to their apical portion, possibly including the microvilli. Additionally, GLUT1 and MCT1 were detected in endothelial cells and GLUT1, GLUT3, and MCT2 in the cells of the Bowman's gland. Our observations suggest an energetic coupling between SCs and Bowman's gland cells, where glucose crossing the blood-mucosa barrier through GLUT1 is incorporated by these epithelial cells. Once in the SCs, glucose can be metabolized to lactate, which could be transported by MCTs into the Bowman's gland duct, where it can be us... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4959344 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4959344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4959346&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21653913%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Loney GC, Torregrossa AM, Smith JC, Sclafani A, Eckel LA Female Sprague-Dawley rats display considerable variability in their preference for the artificial sweetener sucralose over water. While some rats can be classified as sucralose preferrers (SP), as they prefer sucralose across a broad range of concentrations, others can be classified as sucralose avoiders (SA), as they avoid sucralose at concentrations above 0.1 g/L. Here, we expand on a previous report of this phenomenon by demonstrating, in a series of 2-bottle 24-h preference tests involving water and an ascending series of sucralose concentrations, that this variability in sucralose preference is robust across sex, stage of the estrous cycle, and 2 rat strains (Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley). In a second experiment i... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4959346 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4959346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4959348&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21653241%26dopt%3DAbstract This study investigates whether mother's exposure to the artificial sweetener acesulfame-K (AK) during pregnancy or lactation affected her adult offspring's sweet preference. It was found that mother's dietary exposure to AK in pregnancy or lactation decreased the preference thresholds for AK and sucrose solutions in the adult offspring, whereas the preference pattern and the most preferred concentration for AK or sucrose solution were unchanged. Furthermore, the preference scores in the exposure groups were increased significantly when compared with the control group at a range of concentrations for AK or sucrose solution. The existence of AK and its dynamic changes within 24 h in amniotic fluid during pregnancy or in mother's milk during lactation after a single oral infusion of AK solut... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4959348 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4959348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4959347&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21653242%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Salloum A, Colson V, Marion-Poll F Adult Lepidoptera are capable of associative learning. This helps them to forage flowers or to find suitable oviposition sites. Larval learning has never been seriously considered because they have limited foraging capabilities and usually depend on adults as concerns their food choices. We tested if Spodoptera littoralis larvae can learn to associate an odor with a tastant using a new classical conditioning paradigm. Groups of larvae were exposed to an unconditioned stimulus (US: fructose or quinine mixed with agar) paired with a conditioned stimulus (CS: hexanol, geraniol or pentyl acetate) in a petri dish. Their reaction to CS was subsequently tested in a petri dish at different time intervals after conditioning. Trained larvae showed a si... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4959347 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4959347 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911411&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21632982%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bruschini C, Cervo R, Cini A, Pieraccini G, Pontieri L, Signorotti L, Turillazzi S A colony of social insects is like a fortress where access is allowed only to colony members. The epicuticular mixture of hydrocarbons has been widely reported to be involved in nestmate recognition in insects. However, recent studies have shown that polar compounds (mainly peptides) are also present, mixed with hydrocarbons, on the cuticle of various insects, including the paper wasps of the genus Polistes. As these polar compounds are variable among Polistes species and are perceived by the wasps, this cuticular fraction could also be involved in nestmate recognition. Through MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight) mass spectrometry analysis, we assessed, for the... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911411 Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911417&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21622600%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Déléris I, Saint-Eve A, Guo Y, Lieben P, Cypriani ML, Jacquet N, Brunerie P, Souchon I The consumption protocol used during alcoholic beverage tasting may affect aroma perception. We used an integrated approach combining sensory analysis and physicochemistry to investigate the impact of swallowing on aroma release and perception. A panel of 10 persons evaluated the dynamics of aroma perception during the consumption of a commercial flavored vodka, using the method of temporal dominance of sensations. Two protocols (spitting out or swallowing of the product) were tested. Nosespace analysis was simultaneously carried out by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry to evaluate aroma release in the nasal cavity. Comparison of the results obtained with the 2 protocols highlight... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911417 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911414&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21622601%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: de Brito Sanchez MG Taste is crucial for honeybees for choosing profitable food sources, resins, water sources, and for nestmate recognition. Peripheral taste detection occurs within cuticular hairs, the chaetic and basiconic sensilla, which host gustatory receptor cells and, usually a mechanoreceptor cell. Gustatory sensilla are mostly located on the distal segment of the antennae, on the mouthparts, and on the tarsi of the forelegs. These sensilla respond with varying sensitivity to sugars, salts, and possibly amino acids, proteins, and water. So far, no responses of receptor cells to bitter substances were found although inhibitory effects of these substances on sucrose receptor cells could be recorded. When bees are free to express avoidance behaviors, they reject highly c... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911414 Wed, 25 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911413&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21622602%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Coureaud G, Gibaud D, Le Berre E, Schaal B, Thomas-Danguin T Processing of odor mixtures by neonates is weakly understood. Previous studies showed that a binary mixture of ethyl isobutyrate/ethyl maltol (odorants A/B) blends in newborn rabbits at the 30/70 ratio: Pups would perceive a configural odor in addition to the components' odors. Here, we investigated whether the emergence of this additional odor in AB is determined by specific ratio(s) of A and B. To that goal, we tested whether pups discriminated between AB mixtures with lower (A(-)B, 8/92 ratio) or higher (A(+)B, 68/32) proportion of A. In Experiment 1, pups conditioned to A (or B) responded to A(-)B and A(+)B but not to AB. In Experiment 2, pups responded to A(-)B after learning of A(-) (and to A(+)B after learning... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911413 Wed, 25 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804767&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21536621%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yabuki M, Scott DJ, Briand L, Taylor AJ Uptake, retention and release of 5 selected odorants (benzaldehyde, 2-methylpyrazine, 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, 2-isobutylthiazole, and 2,4,5-trimethylthiazole) by recombinant rat odor-binding protein 3 (rat-OBP3) were measured in a model system under nonequilibrium conditions. Gaseous odorants were introduced into a 100 mm section of a polar deactivated capillary in which aqueous rat-OBP3 films were formed to mimic the olfactory epithelium (OE), and the change in the gas-phase concentration of the outflow gas was monitored in real time using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (APCI-MS). The 5 odorants were chosen because they exhibited a broad range of dissociation constants with rat-OBP3 and because they wer... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804767 Sun, 01 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804768&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21511802%26dopt%3DAbstract We presently investigated 2 novel menthol derivatives GIV1 and GIV2, which exhibit strong cooling effects. In previous human psychophysical studies, GIV1 delivered in a toothpaste medium elicited a cooling sensation that was longer lasting compared with GIV2 and menthol carboxamide (WS-3). In the current study, we investigated the molecular and cellular effects of these cooling agents. In calcium flux studies of TRPM8 expressed in HEK cells, both GIV1 and GIV2 were approximately 40- to 200-fold more potent than menthol and WS-3. GIV1 and GIV2 also activated TRPA1 but at levels that were 400 times greater than those required for TRPM8 activation. In calcium imaging studies, subpopulations of cultured rat trigeminal ganglion and dorsal root ganglion cells responded to GIV1 and/or GIV2; the m... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804768 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804770&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21505217%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tasin M, Lucchi A, Ioriatti C, Mraihi M, De Cristofaro A, Boger Z, Anfora G The grapevine moth Lobesia botrana is a generalist insect herbivore and grapevine is one of its hosts. Previous studies have shown that insects use their olfactory abilities to locate hosts from a distance; whereas contact chemoreception mediates the stimulation of oviposition after landing. Little is known about the role of olfaction and its interactions with contact chemoreception and vision once the insect lands on the plant. Plant volatile compounds can be sensed by host-searching insects located some distance from the plant and insects sense both volatile and nonvolatile cues after landing on a plant. In the present study, we investigated the effects of these volatile and nonvolatile cues on the o... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804770 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804769&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21505218%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kärnekull SC, Jönsson FU, Larsson M, Olofsson JK Strong negative reactions, physical symptoms, and behavioral disruptions due to environmental odors are common in the adult population. We investigated relationships among such environmental chemosensory responsivity (CR), personality traits, affective states, and odor perception. Study 1 showed that CR and neuroticism were positively correlated in a sample of young adults (n = 101), suggesting that persons high in neuroticism respond more negatively to environmental odors. Study 2 explored the relationships among CR, noise responsivity (NR), neuroticism, and odor perception (i.e., pleasantness and intensity) in a subset of participants (n = 40). High CR was associated with high NR. Regression analyses indicated that high CR p... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804769 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804769 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804771&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21502338%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kobayashi T, Kiyokawa Y, Takeuchi Y, Mori Y We previously demonstrated that an alarm pheromone released from male donor Wistar rats evoked several physiological and behavioral responses in recipient rats. However, the pheromone effects on social behavior were not analyzed. In the present study, we examined whether the alarm pheromone affects sexual behavior in male or female rats. When a pair of male and female subjects was exposed to the alarm pheromone during sexual behavior, the ejaculation latency was elongated, the number of mounts was increased, and the hit rate (number of intromissions/number of mounts and intromissions) was decreased in the male subject. In contrast, female sexual behavior was not affected by the alarm pheromone. When we exposed only the male or female... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804771 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804772&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21486995%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Eschbach C, Vogt K, Schmuker M, Gerber B How are odor mixtures perceived? We take a behavioral approach toward this question, using associative odor-recognition experiments in Drosophila. We test how strongly flies avoid a binary mixture after punishment training with one of its constituent elements and how much, in turn, flies avoid an odor element if it had been a component of a previously punished binary mixture. A distinguishing feature of our approach is that we first adjust odors for task-relevant behavioral potency, that is, for equal learnability. Doing so, we find that 1) generalization between mixture and elements is symmetrical and partial, 2) elements are equally similar to all mixtures containing it and that 3) mixtures are equally similar to both their constituen... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804772 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804772 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804773&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21471186%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ozdener MH, Brand JG, Spielman AI, Lischka FW, Teeter JH, Breslin PA, Rawson NE The ability to maintain human fungiform papillae cells in culture for multiple cell cycles would be of considerable utility for characterizing the molecular, regenerative, and functional properties of these unique sensory cells. Here we describe a method for enzymatically isolating human cells from fungiform papillae obtained by biopsy and maintaining them in culture for more than 7 passages (7 months) without loss of viability and while retaining many of the functional properties of acutely isolated taste cells. Cells in these cultures exhibited increases in intracellular calcium when stimulated with perceptually appropriate concentrations of several taste stimuli, indicating that at least some of... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804773 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804773 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804774&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21467150%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wada-Katsumata A, Silverman J, Schal C Glucose is a universal phagostimulant in many animal species, including the cockroach Blattella germanica. However, some natural populations of B. germanica have been found that are behaviorally deterred from eating glucose. In dose-response studies, glucose was a powerful phagostimulant for wild-type cockroaches, but it strongly deterred feeding in a glucose-averse strain. Both strains, however, exhibited identical dose-response curves to other phagostimulants and deterrents. As a lead to electrophysiological and molecular genetics studies to investigate the mechanisms that underlie glucose-aversion, we used 2 assay paradigms to delineate which chemosensory appendages on the head contribute to the reception of various phagostimulatory an... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804774 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804776&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21444931%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kean EF, Müller CT, Chadwick EA Scent is used across taxa to communicate information about signaler identity. Eurasian otters Lutra lutra are mainly solitary and thought to use scent as their primary means of communication. Little is known, however, about what information otters communicate through scent or what social function this performs. Headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to sample and analyze volatile organic compounds from anal scent gland secretion from 158 otters of differing sex, age, and female reproductive status. Univariate and multivariate differences were clear between adult and juvenile otters. Complex sex differences were apparent in adult otters but not in younger individuals, suggesting the use of this s... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804776 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804775&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21444932%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Revillo DA, Spear NE, Arias C When amphetamine is associated with a tastant conditioned stimulus, rats learn to avoid the taste even when employing doses that promote conditioned place preference. One hypothesis raised to account for this effect proposes that taste avoidance induced by amphetamine may be motivated by fear. A sensitive period has been identified in the rat (until postnatal day 10) in which infants learn conditioned appetitive effects to stimuli to which aversions are conditioned after this period. Exogenous administration of corticosterone within this period reverses this effect, generating aversive conditioning. In the present study, we tested conditioning of aversions to amphetamine or LiCl, within and after the sensitive period (Experiments 1 and 2). A third... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804775 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804779&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21441366%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vosshall LB, Hansson BS PMID: 21441366 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804779 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4804779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804778&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21441367%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, a homologous series and isomers of 30 volatile phenols, including monoalkylated phenols and di- and trimethylphenols, were evaluated by determining their aroma attributes and their odor detection thresholds in air. The investigation demonstrates that the odor qualities, among them leather-like, horse stable-like, and medicinal, as well as the respective threshold values clearly depend on the arrangement of the alkyl substituents at the phenol ring. In particular, phenols with monoalkyl groups in the meta-position were found with very low odor detection thresholds of <1 ng/L air. A comparison of some selected phenols and their corresponding toluenes, which were found to be almost odorless, showed in addition that the phenolic hydroxyl group is obviously an important factor... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804778 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4804778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804777&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21441368%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wise PM, Breslin PA Psychophysical judgments often depend on stimulus context. For example, sugar solutions are judged sweeter when a tasteless fruity aroma has been added. Response context also matters; adding a fruity aroma to sugar increases the rated sweetness when only sweetness is considered but not when fruitiness is judged as well. The interaction between stimulus context and response context has been explored more extensively in taste-odor mixtures than in taste-taste mixtures. To address this issue, subjects in the current study rated the sourness of citric acid mixed with quinine (bitter), sodium chloride (salty), and cyclamate (sweet) (stimulus context). In one condition, subjects rated sourness alone. In another, subjects rated both sourness and the other salient ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804777 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4804777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642225&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21422376%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, the unconditioned licking of prototypical taste stimuli by rats in brief-access taste tests was assessed following paroxetine administration (0.3-10 mg/kg intraperitoneal). We also measured sucrose licking by rats in different deprivation states after paroxetine (5 mg/kg). In neither experiment did we find any evidence of an effect of paroxetine on licking relative to water to any of the taste stimuli in the brief-access test at doses that decreased food intake. However, in some conditions, paroxetine decreased trials initiated to tastants. Therefore, a systemic increase in serotonin via paroxetine administration can decrease appetitive behavior in brief-access tests but is insufficient to alter taste-guided consummatory behavior. PMID: 21422376 [PubMed - as supplied by ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642225 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642224&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21422377%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bengtsson JM, Khbaish H, Reinecke A, Wolde-Hawariat Y, Negash M, Seyoum E, Hansson BS, Hillbur Y, Larsson MC Few studies have systematically addressed evolutionary changes in olfactory neuron assemblies, either by genetic drift or as an adaptation to specific odor environments. We have studied the sense of olfaction in 2 congeneric scarab beetles, Pachnoda interrupta Olivier and Pachnoda marginata Drury (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), which are both opportunistic polyphages, feeding mainly on fruit and flowers. The 2 species occur in dissimilar habitats: P. interrupta is found in dry savannah, and P. marginata in tropical parts of equatorial Africa. To study how these species may have adapted their sense of olfaction to their odor environments, we utilized single-unit ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642224 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642221&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21422378%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Raliou M, Grauso M, Hoffmann B, Schlegel-Le-Poupon C, Nespoulous C, Débat H, Belloir C, Wiencis A, Sigoillot M, Preet Bano S, Trotier D, Pernollet JC, Montmayeur JP, Faurion A, Briand L Umami is the typical taste induced by monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is thought to be detected by the heterodimeric G protein-coupled receptor, T1R1 and T1R3. Previously, we showed that MSG detection thresholds differ substantially between individuals and we further showed that nontaster and hypotaster subjects are associated with nonsynonymous single polymorphisms occurring in the T1R1 and T1R3 genes. Here, we show using functional expression that both amino acid substitutions (A110V and R507Q) in the N-terminal ligand-binding domain of T1R1 and the 2 other ones (F749S and R757C), located ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642221 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642226&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21421543%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Treesukosol Y, Mathes CM, Spector AC Evidence in the literature shows that in rodents, some taste-responsive neurons respond to both quinine and acid stimuli. Also, under certain circumstances, rodents display some degree of difficulty in discriminating quinine and acid stimuli. Here, C57BL/6J mice were trained and tested in a 2-response operant discrimination task. Mice had severe difficulty discriminating citric acid from quinine and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) with performance slightly, but significantly, above chance. In contrast, mice were able to competently discriminate sucrose from citric acid, NaCl, quinine, and PROP. In another experiment, mice that were conditioned to avoid quinine by pairings with LiCl injections subsequently suppressed licking responses to quinine... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642226 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642226 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642227&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21414996%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Li X, Bachmanov AA, Maehashi K, Li W, Lim R, Brand JG, Beauchamp GK, Reed DR, Thai C, Floriano WB Aspartame is a sweetener added to foods and beverages as a low-calorie sugar replacement. Unlike sugars, which are apparently perceived as sweet and desirable by a range of mammals, the ability to taste aspartame varies, with humans, apes, and Old World monkeys perceiving aspartame as sweet but not other primate species. To investigate whether the ability to perceive the sweetness of aspartame correlates with variations in the DNA sequence of the genes encoding sweet taste receptor proteins, T1R2 and T1R3, we sequenced these genes in 9 aspartame taster and nontaster primate species. We then compared these sequences with sequences of their orthologs in 4 other nontasters species. W... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642227 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642229&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21398414%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Melzner J, Bitter T, Guntinas-Lichius O, Gottschall R, Walther M, Gudziol H Several studies have investigated the orthonasal detection threshold for carbon dioxide (CO(2)) in humans. The aim of current study was to investigate whether 24 healthy young subjects exhibited differences of CO(2) detection thresholds during orthonasal or retronasal stimulation. As nasal mucosa is believed to desensitize to CO(2) concentrations at or below 4% (v/v) during expiration, the second aim of the study was to explore the influence during nasal versus oral breathing on the detection thresholds. CO(2) stimuli of varying concentrations and a duration of 1000 ms were applied with an air-dilution olfactometer in either the anterior nasal cavity or the nasopharynx during nasal respectively oral br... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642229 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642228&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21398415%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kwak J, Josue J, Faranda A, Opiekun MC, Preti G, Osada K, Yamazaki K, Beauchamp GK Mice secrete substantial amounts of protein, particularly proteins called the major urinary proteins (MUPs), in urine. One function of MUPs is to sequester volatile pheromone ligands, thereby delaying their release and providing a stable long-lasting signal. Previously, only MUPs isolated from male mice have been used to identify ligands. Here, we tested the hypothesis that MUPs derived from females may also sequester volatile organic compounds. We identified butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a synthetic antioxidant present in the laboratory rodent diet, as a major ligand bound to urinary proteins derived from C57BL/6J female urine. BHT was also bound to the male-derived proteins, but the binding ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642228 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4526897&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21343241%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Templeton CM, Ostovar Pour S, Hobbs JR, Blanch EW, Munger SD, Conn GL Monellin is a highly potent sweet-tasting protein but relatively little is known about how it interacts with the sweet taste receptor. We determined X-ray crystal structures of 3 single-chain monellin (MNEI) proteins with alterations at 2 core residues (G16A, V37A, and G16A/V37A) that induce 2- to 10-fold reductions in sweetness relative to the wild-type protein. Surprisingly, no changes were observed in the global protein fold or the positions of surface amino acids important for MNEI sweetness that could explain these differences in protein activity. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that while the thermal stability of each mutant MNEI was reduced, the least sweet mutant, G16A-MNEI, was not the leas... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4526897 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4526897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4526896&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21343242%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Soh Z, Tsuji T, Takiguchi N, Ohtake H This paper proposes a neural network model for prediction of olfactory glomerular activity aimed at future application to the evaluation of odor qualities. The model's input is the structure of an odorant molecule expressed as a labeled graph, and it employs the graph kernel method to quantify structural similarities between odorants and the function of olfactory receptor neurons. An artificial neural network then converts odorant molecules into glomerular activity expressed in Gaussian mixture functions. The authors also propose a learning algorithm that allows adjustment of the parameters included in the model using a learning data set composed of pairs of odorants and measured glomerular activity patterns. We observed that the defined s... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4526896 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4526896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4526898&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21339339%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Desimone JA, T Phan TH, Heck GL, Ren Z, Coleman J, Mummalaneni S, Melone P, Lyall V To investigate if chorda tympani (CT) taste nerve responses to strong (HCl) and weak (CO(2) and acetic acid) acidic stimuli are dependent upon NADPH oxidase-linked and cAMP-sensitive proton conductances in taste cell membranes, CT responses were monitored in rats, wild-type (WT) mice, and gp91(phox) knockout (KO) mice in the absence and presence of blockers (Zn(2+) and diethyl pyrocarbonate [DEPC]) or activators (8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP; 8-CPT-cAMP) of proton channels and activators of the NADPH oxidase enzyme (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate [PMA], H(2)O(2), and nitrazepam). Zn(2+) and DEPC inhibited and 8-CPT-cAMP, PMA, H(2)O(2), and nitrazepam enhanced the tonic CT responses to HCl witho... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4526898 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4526898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4471394&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21310764%26dopt%3DAbstract This study suggests that differences in stimulus volume may explain some discrepant findings within the trigeminal chemosensory literature and supports the concept that vanillin may be a "relatively pure" olfactory stimulus. PMID: 21310764 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4471394 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4471394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405221&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21257733%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wilson RS, Yu L, Schneider JA, Arnold SE, Buchman AS, Bennett DA As part of a clinical-pathologic project, older people completed a standard odor identification test at study entry. During a mean of 3.5 years of observation, 201 people died and underwent brain autopsy and neuropathologic examination (6 with a history of Parkinson's disease were excluded). Lewy bodies were identified with antibodies to alpha-synuclein and classified as nigral, limbic, or neocortical based on their distribution in 6 brain regions. Plaques and tangles in 5 regions were summarized with a previously established composite measure, and neuron loss in the substantia nigra was rated on 6-point scale. Odor identification scores ranged from 0 to 12 correct (mean = 8.0, standard deviation = 2.6). On neuro... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405221 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405220&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21257734%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sturz GR, Phan TH, Mummalaneni S, Ren Z, Desimone JA, Lyall V The relationship between acidic pH, taste cell pH(i), and chorda tympani (CT) nerve responses was investigated before and after incorporating the K(+)-H(+) exchanger, nigericin, in the apical membrane of taste cells. CT responses were recorded in anesthetized rats in vivo, and changes in pH(i) were monitored in polarized fungiform taste cells in vitro. Under control conditions, stimulating the tongue with 0.15 M potassium phosphate (KP) or 0.15 M sodium phosphate (NaP) buffers of pHs between 8.0 and 4.6, KP or NaP buffers did not elicit a CT response. Post-nigericin (500 × 10(-6) M), KP buffers, but not NaP buffers, induced CT responses at pHs ≤ 6.6. The effect of nigericin was reversed by the topical lingual app... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405220 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405222&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21242316%26dopt%3DAbstract We report that gustducin is absent from the genomes of all teleost and amphibian species analyzed, presumably due to independent gene losses in these lineages. However, 2 other G alpha genes, Gi1b and G14a, are expressed in zebrafish taste buds and 4 G proteins, Go1, Go2, Gi1b, and Golf2, were detected in the olfactory epithelium. Golf2, Gi1b, and G14a are expressed already shortly after hatching, consistent with the physiological and behavioral responses of larvae to odorants and tastants. Our results show general similarity to the mammalian situation but also clear-cut differences and as such are essential for using the zebrafish model system to study chemosensory perception. PMID: 21242316 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405222 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405223&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21227904%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mennella JA, Lukasewycz LD, Griffith JW, Beauchamp GK Lack of methodology to assess taste in children limits its measurement in research studies that include pediatric populations. We used the Monell 2-series, forced-choice tracking method to measure sucrose preferences of a racially/ethnically diverse sample (n = 949) of children, adolescents, and adults. Reliability was assessed by comparing the results of the first series with the second series. Validity was assessed by relating participants' sucrose preferences to their preferences for foods varying in sweetness. The task required, on average, 7 presentations of aqueous sucrose solution pairs. Children and adolescents preferred more concentrated sweetness than adults (P < 0.001). Black children/adolescents preferred a m... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405223 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405225&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21227902%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Saumweber T, Husse J, Gerber B We investigate olfactory associative learning in larval Drosophila. A reciprocal training design is used, such that one group of animals receives a reward in the presence of odor X but not in the presence of odor Y (Train: X+ // Y), whereas another group is trained reciprocally (Train: X // Y+). After training, differences in odor preference between these reciprocally trained groups in a choice test (Test: X -- Y) reflect associative learning. The current study, after showing which odor pairs can be used for such learning experiments, 1) introduces a one-odor version of such reciprocal paradigm that allows estimating the learnability of single odors. Regarding this reciprocal one-odor paradigm, we show that 2) paired presentations of an odor with... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405225 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405224&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21227903%26dopt%3DAbstract A Behavioral Odor Similarity "Space" in Larval Drosophila. Chem Senses. 2011 Jan 11; Authors: Chen YC, Mishra D, Schmitt L, Schmuker M, Gerber B To provide a behavior-based estimate of odor similarity in larval Drosophila, we use 4 recognition-type experiments: 1) We train larvae to associate an odor with food and then test whether they would regard another odor as the same as the trained one. 2) We train larvae to associate an odor with food and test whether they prefer the trained odor against a novel nontrained one. 3) We train larvae differentially to associate one odor with food, but not the other one, and test whether they prefer the rewarded against the nonrewarded odor. 4) In an experiment like (3), we test the larvae after a 30-min break. This yields a combined task-in... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405224 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338573&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21220518%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dani FR, Michelucci E, Francese S, Mastrobuoni G, Cappellozza S, La Marca G, Niccolini A, Felicioli A, Moneti G, Pelosi P The genome of the silkmoth Bombyx mori contains 44 genes encoding odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and 20 encoding chemosensory proteins (CSPs). In this work, we used a proteomic approach to investigate the expression of proteins of both classes in the antennae of adults and in the female pheromone glands. The most abundant proteins found in the antennae were the 4 OBPs (PBP, GOBP1, GOBP2, and ABP) and the 2 CSPs (CSP1 and CSP2) previously identified and characterized. In addition, we could detect only 3 additional OBPs and 2 CSPs, with clearly different patterns of expression between the sexes. Particularly interesting, on the other hand, is the relatively ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338573 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4338573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277189&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21160088%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 21160088 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277189 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:40:28 +0100 4277189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277188&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21160089%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 21160089 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277188 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:40:13 +0100 4277188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277187&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21160090%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 21160090 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277187 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:39:54 +0100 4277187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277179&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21160091%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 21160091 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277179 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:39:41 +0100 4277179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277151&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21160092%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Meyerhof W PMID: 21160092 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277151 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:39:22 +0100 4277151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277114&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21160093%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Meyerhof W PMID: 21160093 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277114 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:38:52 +0100 4277114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277083&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21163912%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hayes JE, Wallace MR, Knopik VS, Herbstman DM, Bartoshuk LM, Duffy VB The 25 human bitter receptors and their respective genes (TAS2Rs) contain unusually high levels of allelic variation, which may influence response to bitter compounds in the food supply. Phenotypes based on the perceived bitterness of single bitter compounds were first linked to food preference over 50 years ago. The most studied phenotype is propylthiouracil bitterness, which is mediated primarily by the TAS2R38 gene and possibly others. In a laboratory-based study, we tested for associations between TAS2R variants and sensations, liking, or intake of bitter beverages among healthy adults who were primarily of European ancestry. A haploblock across TAS2R3, TAS2R4, and TAS2R5 explained some variability in th... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277083 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4277083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277056&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21163913%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, the present study for the first time provides an empirical demonstration that auditory cues can modulate odor pleasantness. PMID: 21163913 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277056 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4277056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277190&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21159920%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gong Y, Plettner E Female gypsy moths emit a pheromone, (+)-disparlure, which the males follow until they locate the emitter. The male moths' antennae are covered with innervated sensory hairs, specialized in detection of the pheromone. The neurons in these sensory hairs are bathed by a solution rich in pheromone-binding protein (PBP). PBPs are soluble proteins that bind the pheromone and other odorants reversibly with variable thermodynamic and kinetic selectivity and are essential for olfactory responses. Here, we have studied the interaction between 2 gypsy moth PBPs with aromatic compounds that modulate the responses of male moth antennae to (+)-disparlure. The aromatic compounds do not elicit responses by themselves, but when administered together with pheromone, they inh... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277190 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4277190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277191&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21148269%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, the responsiveness of murine GG cells to odorants was examined by monitoring the expression of the activity-dependent gene c-Fos. Testing a number of odorous compounds, cells in the GG were found to respond to dimethylpyrazine (DMP) and a few related substances. These responses were dose-dependent and restricted to early postnatal stages. The DMP-responsive GG cells belonged to the subset of GG neurons that coexpress the signaling elements V2r83, GC-G, and CNGA3. These cells have been previously reported to respond to cool ambient temperatures as well. In fact, cool temperatures enhanced DMP-evoked responses of GG cells. These findings support the concept that the GG of neonatal mice operates as a dual sensory organ that is stimulated by both the odorous compound DMP and coo... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277191 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4277191 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4218909&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21098583%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lim J, B Johnson M The current study took a first step toward elucidating the sensory input that drives retronasal odor referral to the mouth. In 2 experiments, subjects performed odor localization tasks under various oral-nasal stimulation conditions that allowed us to assess the effects of direction of airflow, taste, and tactile stimulation on retronasal odor referral. Subjects reported the locations of perceived odors when food odorants were inhaled through the mouth alone or in the presence of water or various tastants in the mouth. The results indicated that when perceived alone, vanilla and soy sauce odor were localized 54.7%: 26.4%: 18.9% and 60.0%: 21.7%: 18.3% in the nose, oral cavity, and on the tongue, respectively. The localization of odors alone was not significa... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4218909 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4218909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4218908&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21098584%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nishino H, Iwasaki M, Mizunami M Many animals depend on pheromone communication for successful mating. Sex pheromone in insects is usually released by females to attract males. In American cockroaches, the largest glomerulus (B-glomerulus) in the male antennal lobe (first-order olfactory center) processes the major component of sex pheromone. Using intracellular recordings combined with fine neuroanatomical techniques, we provide evidence that the female homolog of the male B-glomerulus also acts as a sex pheromone-specific detector. Whereas ordinary glomeruli that process normal environmental odors are innervated by single projection neurons (PNs), the B-glomerulus in both sexes is innervated by multiple PNs, one of which possesses a thicker axon, termed here B-PN. Both soma ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4218908 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4218908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4153398&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21059697%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dacks AM, Nighorn AJ The structure of the brain is a consequence of selective pressures and the ancestral brain structures modified by those pressures. The Hymenoptera are one of the most behaviorally complex insect orders, and the olfactory system of honeybees (one of the most derived members) has been extensively studied. To understand the context in which the olfactory system of the Hymenoptera evolved, we performed a variety of immunocytochemical and anatomical labeling techniques on the antennal lobes (ALs) of one of its most primitive members, the sawflies, to provide a comparison between the honeybee and other insect model species. The olfactory receptor neurons project from the antennae to fill the entire glomerular volume but do not form distinct tracts as in the hone... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4153398 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4153398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4153397&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21059698%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Klein AH, Carstens MI, Zanotto KL, Sawyer CM, Ivanov M, Cheung S, Carstens E Menthol and cinnamaldehyde (CA) are plant-derived spices commonly used in oral hygiene products, chewing gum, and many other applications. However, little is known regarding their sensory interactions in the oral cavity. We used a human psychophysics approach to investigate the temporal dynamics of oral irritation elicited by sequential application of menthol and/or CA, and ratiometric calcium imaging methods to investigate activation of rat trigeminal ganglion (TG) cells by these agents. Irritancy decreased significantly with sequential oral application of menthol and CA (self-desensitization). Menthol cross-desensitized irritation elicited by CA, and vice versa, over a time course of at least 60 min... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4153397 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4153397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077728&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20947899%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20947899 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077728 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:40:20 +0100 4077728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077727&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20947900%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20947900 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077727 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:40:16 +0100 4077727 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077726&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20947901%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20947901 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077726 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:40:13 +0100 4077726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077725&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20947902%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20947902 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077725 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:40:10 +0100 4077725 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077724&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20947903%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Meyerhof W PMID: 20947903 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077724 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:40:06 +0100 4077724 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077729&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20940344%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bredendiek N, Hütte J, Steingräber A, Hatt H, Gisselmann G, Neuhaus EM Detection of chemical compounds in food sources is based on the activation of 7 transmembrane gustatory receptors (GRs) in mammals and in insects such as Drosophila, although the receptors are not conserved between the classes. Different combinations of Drosophila GRs are involved in the detection of sugars, but the activated signaling cascades are largely unknown. Because 7 transmembrane receptors usually couple to G-proteins, we tried to unravel the intracellular signaling cascade in taste neurons by screening heterotrimeric G-protein mutant flies for gustatory deficits. We found the subunit Goα to be involved in feeding behavior and cell excitability by different transgenic and pharmacological approac... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077729 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4077729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4063026&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20937614%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hillier NK, Vickers NJ The insect olfactory system is challenged to decipher valid signals from among an assortment of chemical cues present in the airborne environment. In the moth, Heliothis virescens, males rely upon detection and discrimination of a unique blend of components in the female sex pheromone to locate mates. The effect of variable odor mixtures was used to examine physiological responses from neurons within sensilla on the moth antenna sensitive to female sex pheromone components. Increasing concentrations of heliothine sex pheromone components applied in concert with the cognate stimulus for each neuronal type resulted in mixture suppression of activity, except for one odorant combination where mixture enhancement was apparent. Olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4063026 Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4063026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4063027&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20935066%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Frank RA, Rybalsky K, Brearton M, Mannea E A series of experiments sought to clarify the relationship between odor naming and memory by manipulating odor label availability during a dual naming-memory task. Experiment 1 demonstrated that recognition memory and odor naming were both better when the naming task provided participants with odor label alternatives. Consistent and correct odor naming was associated with nearly perfect memory, whereas inconsistent or incorrect naming was associated with very weak memory if any at all. Experiment 2 showed that the availability of odor labels was effective at improving memory only if labels were available at both memory encoding and retrieval, suggesting that the labels were aiding memory by improving the identification of the odors. O... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4063027 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4063027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4063028&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20929974%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Albrecht J, Demmel M, Schöpf V, Kleemann AM, Kopietz R, May J, Schreder T, Zernecke R, Brückmann H, Wiesmann M The hypothesis of this experiment was that humans in an anxious state compared with a nonanxious state are able to increase anxiety levels in other humans via their body odors. Specifically, we hypothesized that male chemosensory anxiety signals compared with neutral chemosignals increase state anxiety of female subjects. Thirteen male subjects participated in 2 different sweat donation sessions: chemosignals were collected during participation in a high rope course (anxiety condition) and in an ergometer workout (neutral condition). State and trait anxiety were evaluated in 20 female odor recipients using Spielberger's state-trait anxiety inventory in a double-blin... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4063028 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4063028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4043749&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20923931%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wilson RS, Yu L, Bennett DA The association of olfactory dysfunction with mortality was examined in 1162 older persons without dementia or Parkinson's disease. They completed a standard 12-item test of odor identification and then were followed for a mean of 4.2 years (standard deviation [SD] = 2.6, range: 0-9) during which 321 individuals died (27.6%). The relation of olfactory score to risk of death was assessed in a series of proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, education, and other covariates. Olfactory scores ranged from 0 to 12 correct (mean = 9.0, SD = 2.2). In an initial analysis, risk of death decreased by about 6% for each additional odor correctly identified (hazard ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval: 0.90, 0.98). Thus, mortality risk was about 36% ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4043749 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4043749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4004137&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20855376%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20855376 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4004137 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:57:34 +0100 4004137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4004095&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20855377%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20855377 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4004095 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:51:42 +0100 4004095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4004046&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20855378%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20855378 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4004046 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:47:25 +0100 4004046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003992&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20855379%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20855379 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003992 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:45:12 +0100 4003992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003933&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20855380%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Meyerhof W PMID: 20855380 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003933 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:42:55 +0100 4003933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003778&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20870956%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bahar-Fuchs A, Moss S, Rowe C, Savage G Olfactory dysfunction constitutes one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and has been shown in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Whether the severity of olfactory impairments in aMCI patients parallels those in AD has not been clearly established. In addition, given reports of asymmetries in neuropathological burden in early AD, functional asymmetries in olfactory performance may enhance early detection if olfactory function is assessed unirhinally. We compared AD, aMCI, and healthy participants on olfactory identification and memory assessed unirhinally. Olfactory identification was most proficient in the healthy participants and least proficient in AD, although this disparity did not depend on n... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003778 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4003778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003577&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20870957%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang JX PMID: 20870957 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003577 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4003577 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003487&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20870958%26dopt%3DAbstract Comments on Recent Work by Zhang and Colleagues: "Uropygial Gland-Secreted Alkanols Contribute to Olfactory Sex Signals in Budgerigars" Chem Senses. 2010 Sep 24; Authors: Mardon J, Saunders SM, Bonadonna F PMID: 20870958 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003487 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4003487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003868&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20858746%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wise PM, Zhao K, Wysocki CJ Relatively, few studies have focused on how nasal irritation changes over time. To simulate the rhythm of natural respiration, subjects received 3-s pulses of volatile organic compounds interspersed with 3-s pulses of clean air. Each trial, subjects received 9 pulses of a chemical vapor over about 1 min. Subjects rated nasal irritation from each pulse using magnitude estimation. Within a trial, compound and concentration were fixed. Compound (ethanol, n-butanol, or n-hexanol) and concentration (4 levels for each compound) varied across trials. For all stimuli, rated irritation decreased over time (adaptation). Plots of log-rated intensity versus elapsed time were approximately linear (intensity decreased by a fixed ratio per unit time). Interestingl... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003868 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4003868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3908958&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20724744%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20724744 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3908958 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:51:24 +0100 3908958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3908957&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20724745%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20724745 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3908957 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:51:22 +0100 3908957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3908956&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20724746%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20724746 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3908956 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:51:19 +0100 3908956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3908955&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20724747%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20724747 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3908955 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:51:16 +0100 3908955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3908954&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20724748%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Meyerhof W PMID: 20724748 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3908954 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:51:12 +0100 3908954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3908953&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20739429%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ogueta M, Cibik O, Eltrop R, Schneider A, Scholz H Preference determines behavioral choices such as choosing among food sources and mates. One preference-affecting chemical is ethanol, which guides insects to fermenting fruits or leaves. Here, we show that adult Drosophila melanogaster prefer food containing up to 5% ethanol over food without ethanol and avoid food with high levels (23%) of ethanol. Although female and male flies behaved differently at ethanol-containing food sources, there was no sexual dimorphism in the preference for food containing modest ethanol levels. We also investigated whether Drosophila preference, sensitivity and tolerance to ethanol was related to the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh), the primary ethanol-metabolizing enzyme in D. melanogast... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3908953 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3908953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3908952&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20739430%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Medler KF Peripheral taste receptor cells depend on distinct calcium signals to generate appropriate cellular responses that relay taste information to the central nervous system. Some taste cells have conventional chemical synapses and rely on calcium influx through voltage-gated calcium channels. Other taste cells lack these synapses and depend on calcium release from stores to formulate an output signal through a hemichannel. Despite the importance of calcium signaling in taste cells, little is known about how these signals are regulated. This review summarizes recent studies that have identified 2 calcium clearance mechanisms expressed in taste cells, including mitochondrial calcium uptake and sodium/calcium exchangers (NCXs). These studies identified a unique constitutive... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3908952 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3908952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3908959&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20720093%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Frank ME, Goyert HF, Hettinger TP Identification of odors of compounds introduced into changeable olfactory environments is the essence of olfactory coding, which focuses perception on the latest stimulus with the greatest salience. Effects of stimulus intensity and adapting time on mixture component identification after adapting with one component were each studied in 10 human subjects. Odors of 1 and 5 mM vanillin (vanilla) and phenethyl alcohol (rose) were identified, with adapting time varied by sniffing naturally once or twice, or sniffing 5 times, once every 2 s. Odors of water-adapted single compounds were identified nearly perfectly (94%), self-adapted to 51% but did not cross-adapt (94%), showing the 2 compounds had quickly adapting independent odors. Identifications ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3908959 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3908959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3881572&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20705808%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, this study found no effect of salt intensity on satiation of tomato soups that were similar in palatability. During consumption, subjects adapted quickly to the exposed salt intensity as contrasting salt intensities were rated further from the ideal salt intensity and therefore perceived as less pleasant after consumption. PMID: 20705808 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3881572 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3881572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3881573&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20702508%26dopt%3DAbstract This study helps to establish the rat as a model for the study of behavioral neuroscience of flavor. PMID: 20702508 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3881573 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3881573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3881574&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20699262%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kitada Y, Yahagi R, Okuda-Akabane K Stimulation of water receptors in the laryngopharynx (LP) with water facilitates voluntary swallowing in humans. Based on measures of swallowing intervals (SIs) in repetitive swallowing, we investigated characteristics of laryngopharyngeal water receptors in humans. Healthy adult volunteers were instructed to perform repetitive swallowing as quickly as possible during infusion of a solution into the LP. Infusion of water shortened SI, suggesting that water excites water receptors. Infusion of 0.3 M NaCl solution prolonged SI, suggesting that the NaCl solution inhibits activity of water receptors. SI increased with increasing concentration of NaCl. Anion or cation substitutions indicated that excitation of water receptors is due to absence or... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3881574 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3881574 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3881575&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20696649%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Smith DW, Gamble KR, Heil TA In this presentation, we describe a novel method for estimating the onset time course of psychophysical odor adaptation in human observers. The method employs stimulus conditions derived from an analogous stimulus paradigm in audition. To test this procedure, we used liquid-dilution olfactometry to estimate 2-bottle discrimination thresholds for brief (600 ms) presentations of vanilla odor; 17 volunteers (14 females; ages 18-24) served as participants. The adapting odorant concentration for each participant was set relative to baseline threshold for the 600-ms target alone (i.e., the same level relative to each participant's threshold). To characterize the adaptation-onset time course, we compared thresholds for targets presented simultaneously wit... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3881575 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3881575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3849772&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20693276%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Havermans RC, Hermanns J, Jansen A Odor stimuli play an important role in the perception of food flavor. Olfactory dysfunction is thus likely to affect eating behavior. In the present study, we hypothesized that dysfunctional olfactory perception promotes sensory-specific satiety, a decrease in pleasure derived from a certain test food during and shortly after its consumption relative to other unconsumed control foods. A total of 34 hyposmic/anosmic participants were compared with 29 normosmic control participants. All participants repeatedly consumed a fixed portion of one and the same food item, a procedure known to induce sensory satiation. We found evidence for sensory-specific satiety (SSS) regardless of olfactory function. It thus appears that olfactory deficits have no ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3849772 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3849772 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3849771&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20693277%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Søndergaard LV, Holm IE, Herskin MS, Dagnæs-Hansen F, Johansen MG, Jørgensen AL, Ladewig J The aim of the study was to examine the ability of Göttingen minipigs to acquire an olfaction-based operant conditioning task and to determine the detection threshold for ethyl acetate and ethanol. We used an automated olfactometer developed for rodents to train and test 14 pigs. Odor sampling and reliable responding were obtained after three to fifteen 160-trial sessions. Successful transfer of the task from ethyl acetate to ethanol was achieved in 1-4 sessions. Detection threshold for ethyl acetate varied between 10(-2)% and 10(-6)% v/v and for ethanol between 0.1% and 5 x 10(-6)% v/v. The results provide evidence that minipigs can successfully acquire 2-odorant discriminat... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3849771 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3849771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802969&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20660057%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fushan AA, Simons CT, Slack JP, Drayna D Variation in taste perception of different chemical substances is a well-known phenomenon in both humans and animals. Recent advances in the understanding of sweet taste signaling have identified a number of proteins involved in this signal transduction. We evaluated the hypothesis that sequence variations occurring in genes encoding taste signaling molecules can influence sweet taste perception in humans. Our population consisted of unrelated individuals (n = 160) of Caucasian, African-American, and Asian descent. Threshold and suprathreshold sensitivities of participants for sucrose were estimated using a sorting test and signal detection analysis that produced cumulative R-index area under the curve (AUC) scores. Genetic association ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802969 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3802969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802968&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20660058%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Reed DR, Margolskee RF Two recent studies, the second of which is reported herein, provide evidence that genetic variation in the sweet receptor subunit, TAS1R3, and the second messenger, gustducin (GNAT3), affect the ability of people to correctly sort ascending concentrations of sucrose. These findings raise questions about how variation in the TAS1R3 and GNAT3 gene shape the human sweet tooth and its unwelcome consequences, diabetes and obesity. PMID: 20660058 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802968 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3802968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3741366&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20605873%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dotson CD It has been postulated for decades that ion channels serve as receptors for most sour tasting stimuli. Though many candidates exist, definitive evidence linking any particular channel to sour taste perception has been elusive. Several studies have suggested that two members of the polycystic kidney disease-like family may function as components of an ionotropic taste receptor mediating the transduction of acids. However, the precise role of these proteins in sour taste is controversial. In this issue of Chemical Senses, Nelson et al. use behavioral and electrophysiological approaches in gene-targeted mice to show that one of these putative sour taste receptor subunits, Pkd1l3, is unnecessary for normal taste responses to acids. Their results suggest that other mechan... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3741366 Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3741366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3741365&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20605874%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nelson TM, Lopezjimenez ND, Tessarollo L, Inoue M, Bachmanov AA, Sullivan SL Recent studies, both in vitro and in vivo, have suggested the involvement of the polycystic kidney disease-1 and -2 like genes, Pkd1l3 and Pkd2l1, in acid taste transduction. In mice, disruption of taste cells expressing PKD2L1 eliminates gustatory neural responses to acids. However, no previous data exist on taste responses in the absence of PKD1L3 or on behavioral responses in mice lacking either of these proteins. In order to assess the function of PKD1L3, we genetically engineered mice with a targeted mutation of the Pkd1l3 gene. We then examined taste responsiveness of mutant and wild-type mice using several different approaches. In separate groups of mice, we measured preference scores in 48-h 2... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3741365 Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3741365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3732175&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20601375%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jarriault D, Gadenne C, Lucas P, Rospars JP, Anton S How information is transformed along synaptic processing stages is critically important to understand the neural basis of behavior in any sensory system. In moths, males rely on sex pheromone to find their mating partner. It is essential for a male to recognize the components present in a pheromone blend, their ratio, and the temporal pattern of the signal. To examine pheromone processing mechanisms at different levels of the olfactory pathway, we performed single-cell recordings of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in the antenna and intracellular recordings of central neurons in the macroglomerular complex (MGC) of the antennal lobe of sexually mature Agrotis ipsilon male moths, using the same pheromone stimuli, stimulatio... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3732175 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3732175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3680008&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20551075%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 20551075 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3680008 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:03:05 +0100 3680008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3680009&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20551074%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wooding S, Gunn H, Ramos P, Thalmann S, Xing C, Meyerhof W The perceived bitterness of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli varies from person to person, but the functional underpinnings of this variation are not known. Some evidence suggests that it arises, in part, from variation in ability to perceive goitrin (5-vinyloxazolidine-2-thione), a potent antithyroid compound found naturally in crucifers. Individuals vary in ability to perceive synthetic compounds similar to goitrin, such as 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PROP) and phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), as the result of mutations in the TAS2R38 gene, which encodes a bitter taste receptor. This suggests that taste responses to goitrin itself may be mediated by TAS2R38. To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationships between ... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3680009 Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3680009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3680010&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20543015%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kain P, Badsha F, Hussain SM, Nair A, Hasan G, Rodrigues V In Drosophila melanogaster, gustatory receptor genes (Grs) encode putative G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that are expressed in gustatory receptor neurons (GRNs). One of the Gr genes, Gr5a, encodes a receptor for trehalose that is expressed in a subset of GRNs. Although a role for the G protein, Gsalpha, has been shown in Gr5a-expressing taste neurons, there is the residual responses to trehalose in Gsalpha mutants which could suggest additional transduction mechanisms. Expression and genetic analysis of the heterotrimeric G-protein subunit, Gq, shown here suggest involvement of this Galpha subunit in trehalose perception in Drosophila. A green fluorescent protein reporter of Gq expression is detected in gustatory... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3680010 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3680010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659443&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20534774%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Leonhardt SD, Zeilhofer S, Blüthgen N, Schmitt T Insects largely rely on olfactory cues when seeking and judging information on nests, partners, or resources. Bees are known to use volatile compounds-besides visual cues-to find flowers suitable for pollen and nectar collection. Tropical stingless bees additionally collect large amounts of plant resins for nest construction, nest maintenance, nest defense, and to derive chemical constituents for their cuticular profiles. We here demonstrate that stingless bees of Borneo also use olfactory cues to find tree resins. They rely on volatile mono- and sesquiterpenes to locate or recognize known resin sources. Moreover, by modifying resin extracts, we found that stingless bees do not use the entire resin bouquet but relative propor... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659443 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3659443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659442&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20534775%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jarau S, Dambacher J, Twele R, Aguilar I, Francke W, Ayasse M Stingless bees, like honeybees, live in highly organized, perennial colonies. Their eusocial way of life, which includes division of labor, implies that only a fraction of the workers leave the nest to forage for food. To ensure a sufficient food supply for all colony members, stingless bees have evolved different mechanisms to recruit workers to foraging or even to communicate the location of particular food sites. In some species, foragers deposit pheromone marks between food sources and their nest, which are used by recruited workers to locate the food. To date, pheromone compounds have only been described for 3 species. We have identified the trail pheromone of a further species by means of chemical and electrop... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659442 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3659442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659448&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20530374%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Marshall B, Warr CG, de Bruyne M Insects can detect a large range of odors with a numerically simple olfactory system that delivers high sensitivity and accurate discrimination. Therefore, insect olfactory receptors hold great promise as biosensors for detection of volatile organic chemicals in a range of applications. The array of olfactory receptor neurons of Drosophila melanogaster is rapidly becoming the best-characterized natural nose. We have investigated the suitability of Drosophila receptors as detectors for volatiles with applications in law enforcement, emergency response, and security. We first characterized responses of the majority of olfactory neuron types to a set of diagnostic odorants. Being thus able to correctly identify neurons, we then screened for respon... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659448 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3659448 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659447&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20530375%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bakos SR, Schwob JE, Costanzo RM Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and MMP-2 are important for recovery following direct traumatic injury within the central nervous system (CNS). However, most CNS injury models include both direct trauma and neuronal deafferentation. This limits the ability to determine if these MMPs are important to one or both components of injury. To establish if MMPs play a role in the deafferentation processes, we investigated MMP-9 and MMP-2 in the olfactory bulb following methyl bromide gas exposure. This injury model lesions neurons within the olfactory epithelium and thereby leads to deafferentation of the bulb without damaging it directly. We measured the response of MMP-9 and MMP-2 in the olfactory bulb from 1 to 60 days during neuronal deafferenta... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659447 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3659447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659446&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20530376%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mucignat-Caretta C, Redaelli M, Orsetti A, Perriat-Sanguinet M, Zagotto G, Ganem G Mice recognize other mice by identifying chemicals that confer a molecular signature to urinary marks. Such molecules may be involved in species recognition, and previous behavioral studies have related divergence of sexual preference between 2 subspecies of the house mouse (Mus musculus musculus and Mus musculus domesticus) to urinary odors. To characterize the differences between odors of males of the 2 subspecies and their first-generation offspring, the urinary volatile molecules were examined via gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Seven molecules were present in the samples from mice of at least one group. Their quantity varied among groups: M. m. domesticus showed a quantitat... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659446 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3659446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659445&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20530377%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Galizia CG, Münch D, Strauch M, Nissler A, Ma S We have developed a new computational framework for merging odor response data sets from heterogeneous studies, creating a consensus metadatabase, the database of odor responses (DoOR). As a result, we obtained a functional atlas of all available odor responses in Drosophila melanogaster. Both the program and the data set are freely accessible and downloadable on the Internet (http://neuro.uni-konstanz.de/DoOR). The procedure can be adapted to other species, thus creating a family of "olfactomes" in the near future. Drosophila melanogaster was chosen because of all species this one is closest to having the complete olfactome characterized, with the highest number of deorphanized receptors available. The database guarantees lon... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659445 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3659445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659444&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20530378%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hansson BS, Stensmyr MC In this issue of Chemical Senses, Galizia et al publish an important new tool for the chemosensory research community in general and for olfactory-oriented scientist in particular. The primary aim of the tool is to make it possible to compare results regarding the response specificity of Drosophila melanogaster olfactory receptors (DOrs) from different laboratories. These results have often been arrived at by the use of varying stimulation paradigms and different response registration methods. By building an impressive algorithm, the authors have created a web-based resource, where all extant response spectra have been entered, already now providing a very comprehensive overview of key ligands and tuning width of the DOrs. The web resource is highly att... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659444 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3659444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641787&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20519266%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ache BW PMID: 20519266 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemical Senses) Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641787 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3641787 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3614792&cid=s_37950_60_f&fid=37950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20507921%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Monsé C, Broding HC, Hoffmeyer F, Jettkant B, Berresheim H, Brüning T, Bünger J, Sucker K Human odor and mucosal membrane irritation thresholds are used as criteria for assessing air quality in occupational and environmental settings. Unfortunately, reported threshold values still differ by several orders of magnitude rendering most standard compilations of little practical utility. Thus, in view of the need to repeat odor threshold measurements with a reliable methodology, a new technical approach based on original equipment manufacturer integrated solutions is presented. To test applicability, a calibration gas generator was used to continuously generate a fixed odor vapor concentration. Different dilution steps were realized by coupling to a purchasable olfactomete... Chemical Senses journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3614792 Wed, 26 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3614792