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Abstract #3526

Improved Methods and Analysis in FMRI Studies to Assess Taste and Aroma Integration

Sally Eldeghaidy1,2, Luca Marciani3, Johann C. Pfeiffer4, Joanne Hort4, Kay Head2, Andy J. Taylor4, Robin C. Spiller3, Penny A. Gowland2, Sue Francis2

1Physics Departement, Suez Canal University , Ismailia, Egypt; 2Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom; 3Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre NIHR Biomedical Research Unit,, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, United Kingdom; 4Flavour Research Group, Division of Food Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom


Improved paradigms (including dual-echo EPI, spray delivered samples and an immediate swallow) and subtraction and conjunction analysis methods have been used to study the crossmodal, supra-additive response to a congruent flavour. We show the control stimulus may cancel out some cortical responses of interest, and that a conjugate analysis is advantageous to subtraction analysis, showing additional supra-additive activity in oral somatosensory areas (SII and inferior parietal areas). This supports the suggested model for flavour perception that the oral somatomotor areas play a principal role in binding taste, aroma and oral somatosensory modalities into the flavour percept.

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