Fluid Delivery System for Gustatory Tasks in FMRI

Jonathan Worth Howard¹, John D. Beaver¹, Rexford D. Newbould¹

Although the response to taste stimulus may be useful in several areas of neuroscience, fMRI is rarely used in conjunction with gustatory stimulus. A major problem with gustatory stimulus apparatus is the use of long tubing, connecting computer-controlled pumps in the control room to the subjects mouth. This results in a messy and difficult setup, imprecise liquid delivery, and problems with off-cue drips eliciting responses. In this study these problems are overcome using a hydraulic relay system that allows the use of short tubing, for rapid setup, replacement, and precise delivery of reward stimuli.