School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis
2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE
Medicine
Technique to Collect Fungiform (Taste) Papillae from Human Tongue
Andrew I. Spielman *1, M. Yanina Pepino 2, Roy Feldman 3,4,5, Joseph G. Brand *4,6
1Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology, College of Dentistry, New York University, 2Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, 3Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4School of Dental Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania-School of Medicine, 5Monell Chemical Senses Center, 6Monell Chemical Senses Center
Knowledge of molecular mechanisms underlying gustatory transduction has recently enjoyed significant advances, largely due to using animal models. However, the wide diversity in taste sensitivity and specificity among mammals warrants studies in human tissue. We describe a biopsy technique to collect living taste cells from the papillae on human tongue.
Medicine
Psychophysical Tracking Method to Assess Taste Detection Thresholds in Children, Adolescents, and Adults: The Taste Detection Threshold (TDT) Test
Paule V. Joseph 1, Julie A. Mennella 2, Beverly J. Cowart 2, M. Yanina Pepino 3
1National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Section of Sensory Science and Metabolism, 2Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Psychophysical tools measure the functionality of the taste system for both research and health assessment purposes. This paper describes a method to measure taste detection thresholds that can determine the lowest concentration of sucrose, sodium chloride, or monosodium glutamate that can be tasted by individuals as young as 6 years.
