Chemical SensesPub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjae044
Tomomi Nin, Koji Kamikozuru, Tetsuya Takagawa, Shinichiro Shinzaki, Kenzo Tsuzuki
{"title":"Clinical features of taste disorders in Cronkhite-Canada syndrome: a report of 10 cases.","authors":"Tomomi Nin, Koji Kamikozuru, Tetsuya Takagawa, Shinichiro Shinzaki, Kenzo Tsuzuki","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjae044","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjae044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a very rare gastrointestinal disorder with ectodermal abnormalities. Taste abnormalities appear in more than 80% of cases. Our objective was to investigate the characteristics of CCS. Ten patients with taste abnormalities who were diagnosed with CCS were included. A medical interview, examination of the tongue findings, and blood tests were performed, and taste functions were assessed using an electrogustometry (EGM) and a filter paper disc (FPD) before and after treatment. There was nail atrophy in all cases, weight loss in 8 cases, hair loss in 6 cases, skin hyperpigmentation in 5 cases, gastrointestinal symptoms in 4 cases, and atrophy of the lingual papillae in at least 8 cases. Zinc therapy for taste disorders by the previous physicians was ineffective in all cases. The results of the FPD at the first examination showed a severe decrease in taste function of the anterior tongue, whereas taste function tended to be preserved in the posterior tongue (P < 0.01, Wilcoxon). In all cases, subjective symptoms improved within 3 mo after treatment of CCS. Taste function improved significantly after treatment (FPD in anterior tongue, P < 0.05, EGM in posterior tongue, P < 0.01, Wilcoxon). Taste disorder in CCS tended to be severe in the anterior tongue with findings of tongue papillary atrophy, which appears to be an ectodermal abnormality. Their taste function improved along with symptoms after treatment. The taste tests were useful for determining the effect of treatment for CCS.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142853118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical SensesPub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaf008
Theresa L White, Nira Cedres, Jonas K Olofsson
{"title":"A cognitive nose? Evaluating working memory benchmarks in the olfactory domain.","authors":"Theresa L White, Nira Cedres, Jonas K Olofsson","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf008","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Working memory (WM) processes are assumed to operate on a wide variety of sensory materials, yet WM research rarely extends beyond sight and hearing. In this systematic review, we integrate research from studies that address WM in olfaction, the sense of smell, spanning the last 50 yr (N = 44). We assessed whether 21 proposed \"benchmarks\" for WM generalize to olfactory WM. Seven benchmarks generalized to olfaction, whereas 2 failed to generalize. Evidence was insufficient to address the remaining 12 benchmarks (4 had mixed support and 8 were yet unaddressed). We conclude that the available evidence indicates that the sense of smell has a short-term memory system that mostly resembles WM processes in \"higher\" senses, although there are exceptions related to how olfactory WM performance is associated with other functions. We argue that researchers studying WM should explicitly consider evidence outside of the audio-visual senses when establishing theoretical frameworks. Further, we point out avenues for future research that may help close the remaining gaps in knowledge on this neglected topic.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11985691/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical SensesPub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaf007
Matjaž Pirc, Catoo Krale, Paul Smeets, Sanne Boesveldt
{"title":"Perceptual differences in olfactory fat discrimination are not detected in neural activation.","authors":"Matjaž Pirc, Catoo Krale, Paul Smeets, Sanne Boesveldt","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf007","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Olfaction is involved in detecting, identifying, and discriminating dietary fat within foods, yet the underlying neural mechanisms remain uncharted. Our functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated the neural correlates of olfactory fat perception and their association with discrimination ability in a complex food matrix. We measured brain activation resulting from orthonasal exposure to an ecologically relevant fat-related odor source-dairy milk, manipulated to contain 0%, 3.5%, or 14% fat. Twenty-six healthy, normosmic adults underwent olfactory fat content discrimination testing, followed by an fMRI task during which the 3 odor stimuli were delivered via an olfactometer (25 times/fat level) and rated on perceived intensity and liking. Participants discriminated between all fat levels, with fat level influencing perceived odor intensity and liking. These perceptual differences, however, were not reflected in differential brain activation. Brain activation differences were observed only when comparing odor exposure with no exposure. Specifically, in response to any odor, activation occurred in the anterior part of the supplementary motor area (SMA) while deactivating parts of the hippocampus, putamen, superior temporal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and posterior part of the SMA. Exposure to the 0% fat odor also activated the thalamus. No associations were found between perceived intensity and liking and neural responses. Results reaffirm the human ability to distinguish food fat content using solely olfactory cues and reveal a divergence between sensory perception and neural processing. Subsequent research should replicate and extend these findings onto retronasal fat perception while also examining potential effects of hunger, genetics, and dietary habits.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11931621/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143448332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical SensesPub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaf001
Brigit High, Thomas E Finger
{"title":"Structural comparisons of human and mouse fungiform taste buds.","authors":"Brigit High, Thomas E Finger","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf001","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Taste buds are commonly studied in rodent models, but some differences exist between mice and humans in terms of gustatory mechanisms and sensitivities. Whether these functional differences are reflected in structural differences between species is unclear. Using immunofluorescent image stacks, we compared the morphological and molecular characteristics of mouse and human fungiform taste buds. The results suggest that while the general features of fungiform taste buds are similar between mice and humans, several characteristics differ significantly. Human taste buds are larger and taller than those of mice, yet they contain similar numbers of taste cells. Taste buds in humans are more heavily innervated by gustatory nerve fibers expressing the purinergic receptor P2X3 showing a 40% higher innervation density than in mice. Like type II cells of mice, a subset (about 30%) of cells in human taste buds is immunoreactive for phospholipase C beta (PLCβ2). These PLCβ2-immunoreactive cells display calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1)-immunoreactive puncta closely opposed to gustatory nerve fibers suggestive of channel-type synapses in type II cells in mice. These puncta, used as a measure of synaptic contact, are significantly larger in humans compared to mice suggesting a higher efflux of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) neurotransmitter in humans. Altogether these findings suggest that while many similarities exist in the organization of murine and human fungiform taste buds, significant differences do exist in taste bud size, innervation density, and size of synaptic contacts that may impact gustatory signal transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11795111/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142945457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical SensesPub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaf010
Keven Lapointe, Sabrina Suffren, Maryse Lassonde, Jean-François Lepage, Johannes Frasnelli
{"title":"Odor localization in structural interhemispheric deficits.","authors":"Keven Lapointe, Sabrina Suffren, Maryse Lassonde, Jean-François Lepage, Johannes Frasnelli","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf010","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Contrary to all other sensory systems, olfactory information is processed predominantly ipsilaterally. Furthermore, odor localization, based on inter-nostril differences, is usually not possible under controlled conditions. These two observations suggest information exchange between both cerebral hemispheres in the olfactory system, although the exact anatomical substrate remains unknown. This study aimed to identify the anatomical structures necessary for odor localization, with a particular focus on the role of interhemispheric communication. We assessed the ability to localize pure olfactory and mixed olfactory/trigeminal stimuli in 6 participants with structural interhemispheric deficits (including surgical transection or agenesis of the corpus callosum (CC) and agenesis of the CC and anterior commissure (AC, one case)) and compared their performance to 46 healthy controls. Of the six participants with structural interhemispheric deficits, three were unable to localize either stimulus. Two participants performed significantly better than chance for both pure and mixed stimuli, while one participant exhibited the typical localization pattern observed in most controls-accurate localization of the mixed olfactory/trigeminal stimulus but inability to localize the pure olfactory stimulus. Our results suggest that localization of chemosensory stimuli relies, at least in part, on CC, highlighting its role in interhemispheric communication for olfactory processing. The varying odor localization performance observed in participants with agenesis of CC indicates that compensatory mechanisms may be promoted in some cases, potentially preserving normal localization functions despite the absence of major commissural pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12084763/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143978249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Predicting human olfactory perception by odorant structure and receptor activation profile.","authors":"Yusuke Ihara, Chiori Ijichi, Yasuko Nogi, Masayuki Sugiki, Yuko Kodama, Sayoko Ihara, Mika Shirasu, Takatsugu Hirokawa, Kazushige Touhara","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf002","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Humans possess a remarkable ability to discriminate a wide range of odors with high precision. This process begins with olfactory receptors (ORs) detecting and responding to the molecular structures of odorants. Recent studies have aimed to associate the activity of a single OR to an odor descriptor or predict odor descriptors using 2D molecular representation. However, predicting a limited number of odor descriptors is insufficient to fully understand the widespread and elaborate olfactory perception process. Therefore, we conducted structure-activity relationship analyses for ORs of eugenol, vanillin, and structurally similar compounds, investigating the correlation between molecular structures, OR activity profiles, and perceptual odor similarity. Our results indicated that these structurally similar compounds primarily activated 6 ORs, and the activity profiles of these ORs correlated with their perception. This enabled the development of a prediction model for the eugenol-similarity score from OR activity profiles (coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.687). Furthermore, the molecular structures of odorants were represented as 3D shapes and pharmacophore fingerprints, considering the 3D structural similarities between various odorants with multiple conformations. These 3D shape and pharmacophore fingerprints could also predict the perceptual odor similarity (R2 = 0.514). Finally, we identified key molecular structural features that contributed to predicting sensory similarities between compounds structurally similar to eugenol and vanillin. Our models, which predict odor from OR activity profiles and similarities in the 3D structure of odorants, may aid in understanding olfactory perception by compressing the information from a vast number of odorants into the activity profiles of 400 ORs.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143064066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical SensesPub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjae045
Narayan Subramanian, Lee Min Leong, Paria Salemi Mokri Boukani, Douglas A Storace
{"title":"Recent odor experience selectively modulates olfactory sensitivity across the glomerular output in the mouse olfactory bulb.","authors":"Narayan Subramanian, Lee Min Leong, Paria Salemi Mokri Boukani, Douglas A Storace","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjae045","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjae045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although animals can reliably locate and recognize odorants embedded in complex environments, the neural circuits for accomplishing these tasks remain incompletely understood. Adaptation is likely to be important as it could allow neurons in a brain area to adjust to the broader sensory environment. Adaptive processes must be flexible enough to allow the brain to make dynamic adjustments, while maintaining sufficient stability so that organisms do not forget important olfactory associations. Processing within the mouse olfactory bulb is likely involved in generating adaptation, although there are conflicting models of how it transforms the glomerular output of the mouse olfactory bulb. Here we performed 2-photon Ca2+ imaging from mitral/tufted glomeruli in awake mice to determine the time course of recovery from adaptation, and whether it acts broadly or selectively across the glomerular population. Individual glomerular responses, as well as the overall population odor representation were similar across imaging sessions. However, odor-concentration pairings presented with interstimulus intervals upwards of 30-s evoked heterogeneous adaptation that was concentration-dependent. We demonstrate that this form of adaptation is unrelated to variations in respiration, and olfactory receptor neuron glomerular measurements indicate that it is unlikely to be inherited from the periphery. Our results indicate that the olfactory bulb output can reliably transmit stable odor representations, but recent odor experiences can selectively shape neural responsiveness for upwards of 30 seconds. We propose that neural circuits that allow for non-uniform adaptation across mitral/tufted glomeruli could be important for making dynamic adjustments in complex odor environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11753175/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142945254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical SensesPub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaf004
Sally Arnhardt, Lilian Wei Fu, Johannes Kornhuber, Jessica Freiherr
{"title":"Sniffing colors-color associations for descriptors and odors of the MONEX-40 test.","authors":"Sally Arnhardt, Lilian Wei Fu, Johannes Kornhuber, Jessica Freiherr","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf004","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research on odor-color associations provides insights into brain processes that integrate attributes from seemingly independent senses, forming crossmodal correspondences. Since multisensory integration is based, among others, on semantic congruency, we aimed to provide a color profile-encompassing hue, saturation, and lightness-for the standardized MONEX-40 test. This color profile will enable the use of odor-congruent or odor-incongruent colors in olfactory-visual studies. In Study 1, participants completed an online survey, selecting colors corresponding to each descriptor in the smell test. The analysis revealed distinct color patterns, highlighting the importance of learning in descriptor-color associations. Study 2 explored color associations for all 40 odors of the MONEX-40 at different time points. Initially, participants reported color associations based solely on odor perception. Then, they identified the odor from a set of four descriptors and reassigned colors after odor identification. Both qualitative and quantitative methods, including statistical tests and ΔE (CIE 2000) analysis, demonstrated shifts in color associations after odor identification, affecting hue, saturation, and lightness. This research deepens our understanding of how color associations form in response to various stimuli, including descriptors and odors. The findings have scientific relevance, as mentioned above, but also practical applications in product development, particularly in the food and cosmetics industries, where combining specific colors and odors can enhance product appeal.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143187769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical SensesPub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaf005
Albertino Bigiani, Roberto Tirindelli, MeeRa Rhyu, Jonathan Mapelli
{"title":"Functional characterization of Type IV basal cells in rat fungiform taste buds.","authors":"Albertino Bigiani, Roberto Tirindelli, MeeRa Rhyu, Jonathan Mapelli","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf005","DOIUrl":"10.1093/chemse/bjaf005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Taste buds, the end organs of taste, consist of a diverse population of sensory cells that is constantly renewed. Cell differentiation begins with Type IV basal cells, which are ovoid elements located inside the taste bud near its base. These cells are postmitotic precursors that give rise to all other cell types, including glial-like cells (Type I cells) and chemoreceptors (Type II and Type III cells). Despite their critical role in cell turnover, Type IV basal cells are relatively unknown in terms of functional features. Here, we used Lucifer yellow labeling and patch-clamp technique to investigate their electrophysiological properties in the rat fungiform taste buds. All Type IV basal cells showed voltage-gated sodium currents (INa), albeit at a far lower density (17 pA/pF) than chemoreceptors (444 pA/pF), which fire action potentials during sensory transduction. Furthermore, they lacked calcium homeostasis modulator currents, which are required for neurotransmitter release by some chemoreceptor types. Amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) was found to be only present in a subset of Type IV basal cells. Interestingly, Type IV basal cells shared some membrane features with glial-like cells, such as high cell capacitance and low INa density; however, input resistance was greater in Type IV basal cells than in glial-like cells. Thus, although Type IV basal cells may eventually differentiate into distinct cell lineages, our findings indicate that they are quite homogeneous in terms of the electrophysiological characteristics, with the exception of functional ENaCs, which appear to be only expressed in one subset.</p>","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143413549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical SensesPub Date : 2024-12-14DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjae042
{"title":"Editor-in-Chief's Note - Thank you to Reviewers.","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/chemse/bjae042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjae042","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9771,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Senses","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}