Food Temperature Linked to Taste Bud Nerve Activity

Article title: Effects of temperature on action potentials and ion conductances in type II taste-bud cells

Authors: Zhongming Ma, Usha Paudel, J. Kevin Foskett

From the authors: “Here we show that the electrical activity of type II taste-bud cells that sense sweet, bitter, and umami substances is strongly influenced by temperature. These results suggest a mechanism for the influence of temperature on the intensity of taste perception that resides in taste buds themselves.”

This study is highlighted as one of August’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program.