Abstract
To investigate the relationships between the activity in different types of taste fibers and the gustatory behavior in marmosets, we used the taste modifier miraculin, which in humans adds a sweet taste quality to sour stimuli. In behavioral experiments, we measured marmosets' consumption of acids before and after tongue application of miraculin. In electrophysiological experiments responses of single taste fibers in chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal nerves were recorded before and after tongue application of miraculin. We found that after miraculin marmosets consumed acids more readily. Taste nerve recordings showed that after miraculin taste fibers which usually respond only to sweeteners, S fibers, became responsive to acids. These results further support our hypothesis that the activity in S fibers is translated into a hedonically positive behavioral response.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 315-321 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Brain Research Bulletin |
Volume | 68 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 30 2006 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported in part by NIH grants R01DC6016 (GH) and R03DC005336 (VD). We would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. D. Abbott and his group at Wisconsin Regional Primate Center. This is NIH RR00167/WRPRC Publication No. 41-007.
Keywords
- Marmoset
- Miraculin
- Non-human primates
- Sweet taste
- Taste coding
- Taste modifier