Retro nasal blockade reduces the neural processing of sucrose in the human brain

Abstract

It is assumed “Non-volatile” tastes like sucrose do not activate retro nasal pathways. Recent studies find that sucrose when aerosolized, can reach the retro nasal olfactory region and be perceived. The neural mechanisms by which the human brain interprets sucrose via retro nasal pathways is unknown.

We examined neural activity to sucrose with a nose clip on (blocking retro nasal) and nose clip off, in healthy adults (N = 34, mean 25 yrs.). We examined the whole brain and ROIs involved in taste, smell, attention, reward and multi-modal integration; insula, postcentral gyrus, amygdala, olfactory cortex, subgenual and pregenual anterior cingulate, nucleus accumbens and OFC. We also examined correlations with subjective ratings of pleasantness and mouth fullness.

The nose clip on vs off reduced the subjective experience of mouth fullness. Neural activity to sucrose was reduced with the nose clip on in the primary taste, olfactory, attention and reward ROIs and in the rolandic operculum, lingual gyrus and precuneus in the whole brain analyses. The olfactory and prefrontal cortex ROIs tracked subjective mouth fullness, but this was not apparent with the nose clip on.

Blocking retro nasal sensation reduces subjective and neural responses to sucrose taste. Retro nasal sensations could play a role in “pure” taste perception. Developing more satisfying low-sugar foods could be achieved by enhancing the perception of sweetness through aroma modulation.