title: Functional specialization of the male insula during taste perception.
abstract: The primary gustatory area is located in the insular cortex. Although the insular cortex has been the topic of multiple parcellation studies, its functional specialization regarding taste processing received relatively little attention. Studies investigating the brain response to taste suggested that the insular cortex is involved in processing multiple characteristics of a taste stimulus, such as its quality, intensity, and pleasantness. In the current functional magnetic resonance study, younger and older adult male subjects were exposed to four basic tastes in five increasing concentrations. We applied a data-driven analysis to obtain insular response maps, which showed that the insular cortex processes the presence of taste, its corresponding pleasantness, as well as its concentration. More specifically, the left and right insular cortices are differentially engaged in processing the aforementioned taste characteristics: representations of the presence of a taste stimulus as well as its corresponding pleasantness dominate in the left insular cortex, whereas taste concentration processing dominates in the right insular cortex. These results were similar across both age groups. Our results fit well within previous cytoarchitectural studies and show insular lateralization in processing different aspects of taste stimuli in men.
authors.affiliation: Top Institute Food and Nutrition, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Neuroimaging Center Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.r.dalenberg@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: Jelle R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dalenberg
authors.affiliation: Top Institute Food and Nutrition, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Neuroimaging Center Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Heleen R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Hoogeveen
authors.affiliation: Top Institute Food and Nutrition, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Neuroimaging Center Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Remco J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Renken
authors.affiliation: NIHR Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dave R M
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Langers
authors.affiliation: Top Institute Food and Nutrition, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Neuroimaging Center Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gert J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: ter Horst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D057181:Pleasure / Q000502:physiology; D011803:Quinine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013395:Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019343:Citric Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013395:Sucrose; D011803:Quinine
keywords: Cortical mapping; Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Insula; Lateralization; Taste