QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (55) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Small, D. M. Articles by Evans, A. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Small, D. M. Articles by Evans, A. C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Volume 17, Number 13, Issue of July 1, 1997 pp. 5136-5142
Copyright ©1997 Society for Neuroscience

A Role for the Right Anterior Temporal Lobe in Taste Quality Recognition

Received March 3, 1997; revised April 9, 1997; accepted April 11, 1997.

Dana M. Small¹, Marilyn Jones-Gotman¹, Robert J. Zatorre¹, Michael Petrides¹, and Alan C. Evans²

¹ Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, and ² McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4

We conducted two experiments to examine central processing of the taste of citric acid. In the first experiment, elevated citric acid recognition thresholds, but normal detection thresholds, were observed in a group of patients who had undergone a right anterior temporal lobectomy for the treatment of epilepsy, compared with a control group and a group of patients who had undergone the same operation in the left hemisphere. In the second study, using positron emission tomography, we compared regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in a condition in which citric acid was presented with one in which water was presented (with similar somatosensory stimulation across both conditions). We observed increased rCBF bilaterally in the caudolateral orbitofrontal cortex, in the right anteromedial temporal lobe, and in the right caudomedial orbitofrontal cortex. The elevated recognition thresholds exhibited in patients with resection of the right anteromedial temporal lobe may be accounted for by damage in an area corresponding to that of the rCBF increase. These results suggest that although taste sensation may be computed in the primary taste cortex, recognition requires further processing by structures located in the anteromedial temporal lobe. Furthermore, they point to preferential processing of this higher-order gustatory function by the right cerebral hemisphere.

Key words: gustation; taste; amygdala; orbitofrontal cortex; insula; hedonics; positron emission tomography (PET); conditioned taste aversion (CTA)

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. D. Woolley, M. -L. Gorno-Tempini, W. W. Seeley, K. Rankin, S. S. Lee, B. R. Matthews, and B. L. Miller Binge eating is associated with right orbitofrontal-insular-striatal atrophy in frontotemporal dementia Neurology, October 2, 2007; 69(14): 1424 - 1433. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. G. Veldhuizen, G. Bender, R. T. Constable, and D. M. Small Trying to Detect Taste in a Tasteless Solution: Modulation of Early Gustatory Cortex by Attention to Taste Chem Senses, July 1, 2007; 32(6): 569 - 581. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Mainland and N. Sobel The Sniff Is Part of the Olfactory Percept Chem Senses, February 1, 2006; 31(2): 181 - 196. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Onoda, T. Kobayakawa, M. Ikeda, S. Saito, and A. Kida Laterality of Human Primary Gustatory Cortex Studied by MEG Chem Senses, October 1, 2005; 30(8): 657 - 666. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Ogawa, M. Wakita, K. Hasegawa, T. Kobayakawa, N. Sakai, T. Hirai, Y. Yamashita, and S. Saito Functional MRI Detection of Activation in the Primary Gustatory Cortices in Humans Chem Senses, September 1, 2005; 30(7): 583 - 592. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. D. Mainland, B. N. Johnson, R. Khan, R. B. Ivry, and N. Sobel Olfactory Impairments in Patients with Unilateral Cerebellar Lesions Are Selective to Inputs from the Contralesional Nostril J. Neurosci., July 6, 2005; 25(27): 6362 - 6371. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M. Small, N. Bernasconi, A. Bernasconi, V. Sziklas, and M. Jones-Gotman Gustatory agnosia Neurology, January 25, 2005; 64(2): 311 - 317. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M. Small, J. Voss, Y. E. Mak, K. B. Simmons, T. Parrish, and D. Gitelman Experience-Dependent Neural Integration of Taste and Smell in the Human Brain J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2004; 92(3): 1892 - 1903. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Djordjevic, R.J. Zatorre, and M. Jones-Gotman Effects of Perceived and Imagined Odors on Taste Detection Chem Senses, March 1, 2004; 29(3): 199 - 208. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. N. Johnson, J. D. Mainland, and N. Sobel Rapid Olfactory Processing Implicates Subcortical Control of an Olfactomotor System J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2003; 90(2): 1084 - 1094. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. H. Zald, M. C. Hagen, and J. V. Pardo Neural Correlates of Tasting Concentrated Quinine and Sugar Solutions J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2002; 87(2): 1068 - 1075. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M. Small, R. J. Zatorre, A. Dagher, A. C. Evans, and M. Jones-Gotman Changes in brain activity related to eating chocolate: From pleasure to aversion Brain, September 1, 2001; 124(9): 1720 - 1733. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M. Small, R. J. Zatorre, and M. Jones-Gotman Increased intensity perception of aversive taste following right anteromedial temporal lobe removal in humans Brain, August 1, 2001; 124(8): 1566 - 1575. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Barry, J. C. Gatenby, J. D. Zeiger, and J. C. Gore Hemispheric Dominance of Cortical Activity Evoked by Focal Electrogustatory Stimuli Chem Senses, June 1, 2001; 26(5): 471 - 482. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M. Small, R. J. Zatorre, and M. Jones-Gotman Changes in Taste Intensity Perception Following Anterior Temporal Lobe Removal in Humans Chem Senses, May 1, 2001; 26(4): 425 - 432. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. O'Doherty, E. T. Rolls, S. Francis, R. Bowtell, and F. McGlone Representation of Pleasant and Aversive Taste in the Human Brain J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2001; 85(3): 1315 - 1321. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. E. Martin, B. G. Goodyear, J. S. Gati, and R. S. Menon Cerebral Cortical Representation of Automatic and Volitional Swallowing in Humans J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2001; 85(2): 938 - 950. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. H. Zald and J. V. Pardo Cortical Activation Induced by Intraoral Stimulation with Water in Humans Chem Senses, June 1, 2000; 25(3): 267 - 275. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-F. Gautier, K. Chen, A. Uecker, D. Bandy, J. Frost, A. D Salbe, R. E Pratley, M. Lawson, E. Ravussin, E. M Reiman, et al. Regions of the human brain affected during a liquid-meal taste perception in the fasting state: a positron emission tomography study Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, November 1, 1999; 70(5): 806 - 810. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Hamdy, D. J. Mikulis, A. Crawley, S. Xue, H. Lau, S. Henry, and N. E. Diamant Cortical activation during human volitional swallowing: an event-related fMRI study Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, July 1, 1999; 277(1): G219 - G225. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Kobayakawa, H. Ogawa, H. Kaneda, S. Ayabe-Kanamura, and S. Saito Spatio-temporal Analysis of Cortical Activity Evoked by Gustatory Stimulation in Humans Chem Senses, April 1, 1999; 24(2): 201 - 209. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help