Gustatory Cortex - Taste Familiarity

Taste Familiarity

GC units signal taste familiarity at a delayed temporal phase of the response. An analysis suggests that specific neuronal populations participate in the processing of familiarity for specific tastants. Furthermore, the neural signature of familiarity is correlated with familiarization with a specific tastant rather than with any tastant. This signature is evident 24 hours after initial exposure. This persistent cortical representation of taste familiarity requires slow post-acquisition processing to develop. This process may be related to the activation of neurotransmitter receptors, modulation of gene expression, and posttranslational modifications detected in the insular cortex in the first hours after the consumption of an unfamiliar tastant.