Gustation assessment using the NIH Toolbox

Abstract

The NIH Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox) is a set of brief measures for the assessment of cognitive function, emotional health, motor function, and sensory function for use in clinical trials and in epidemiologic and longitudinal studies. Gustatory perception is assessed as 1 of 6 areas of sensory function. A team of 11 scientists with expertise in taste perception selected 2 gustatory measures, 1 of which can be used in young pediatric populations. The measure selected for young pediatric populations assesses sucrose (sweet) taste preference and can also be used across the age span of 5 to 85 years. For adult populations, the selected measure is a regional test, which assesses variability in perceived intensity of quinine hydrochloride (bitter) when applied to the tongue tip as well as perceived with the whole mouth. The team also recommends the regional test for assessing other tastants, such as sodium chloride (salty). Validation studies have demonstrated that the measures modified for the NIH Toolbox correlate with more traditional assessments, and can identify known population differences in gustation. Neurology â 2013;80 (Suppl 3):S20-S24 DEFINITION OF GUSTATION Gustation consists of the perception of sensations that are usually described as having 1 or more basic taste qualities: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, or umami (savory/brothy). These sensations facilitate consumption of nutrients (sweet, salty, umami) and contribute to rejection of toxins (bitter). The gustatory system's key function in guiding food intake makes it important to health and the prevention of chronic diseases and conditions. For example, individual differences in bitter taste perception are known to contribute to differences in food preferences and consumption of certain fruits and vegetables, thereby influencing health.1 Gustation arises from the cellular activation of taste receptors that are localized to the plasma membranes of modified epithelial cells. 2Along with supporting cells, these specialized cells form taste buds that are found inside papillae on the tongue surface or within the tissues of the soft palate and pharynx. Gustatory fibers in the facial, glossopharyngeal, and vagal cranial nerves innervate taste buds in the oral cavity. These fibers carry taste information from the oral cavity to the nucleus of the solitary tract in the brainstem.3 In primates, projections from the nucleus of the solitary tract carry taste information to the thalamus, which in turn projects to gustatory cortex. 3Psychophysical measures characterize different aspects of gustatory perception. These include the responsiveness of the system to taste stimuli as well as the hedonic value of the sensation. Measures of taste function include detection thresholds, just noticeable differences in taste perception, perceived intensity, and taste quality judgments. Measurements involving hedonic value usually consist of estimates of pleasantness, liking, or preference. For children younger than age 5, most ...

The Effect of Barium on Perceptions of Taste Intensity and Palatability

“…None of the stimuli were intended to be therapeutic due to their extreme intensity. The tastant identities and concentration levels were selected based on those utilized in previously published taste sensation studies [46], and have subsequently been included in the NIH Toolbox for Gustation [49,50]. In addition to these matched samples, the larger study included four low suprathreshold concentrations of sucrose, citric acid, salt, and caffeine.…”

New chemosensory component in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES): first-year results for measured olfactory dysfunction

“…Rapid taste and smell assessments [6, 7], developed and standardized in the NIH Toolbox, were modified, adapted, and standardized for NHANES use; they were pilot tested in two NHANES stands during 2010–2011. The final NHANES taste and smell protocol [4] was deemed highly acceptable by NHANES technicians and participants.…”

The Cognition Battery of the NIH Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function: Validation in an Adult Sample

“…Sixteen Institutes, centers and offices of the NIH support this initiative for neuroscience research to accelerate discoveries and reduce the burden of nervous system disorders. General methods applied to the development of measures in all four major domains are detailed in a separate series of papers introducing the full NIHTB (Coldwell et al, 2013; Cook et al, 2013; Dalton et al, 2013; Dunn et al, 2013; R. C. Gershon et al, 2013; Hodes, Insel, Landis, & Research, 2013; Nowinski, Victorson, Debb, & Gershon, 2013; Reuben et al, 2013; Rine et al, 2013; Salsman et al, 2013, 2013, in press; Salthouse, 1976; Varma, McKean-Cowdin, Vitale, Slotkin, & Hays, 2013; Victorson et al, 2013; Weintraub, Dikmen, et al, 2013; Zecker et al, 2013). The NIHTB Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) is the focus of the present series.…”