Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
5-2019
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Department
Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology
Degree Program
Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, MS
Committee Chair
Samuelsen, Chad
Committee Member
Lundy, Robert
Committee Member
Kaskan, Peter
Author's Keywords
olfaction; gustation; neophobia; hedonics; congruence
Abstract
The perception of flavors occurs when a tastant is simultaneously detected and associated with an odorant (i.e., odor-taste mixture). Sampling an odor and taste together results in a congruent odor-taste mixture. Mixing an odor and taste from different congruent odor-taste pairs results in incongruent odor-taste mixtures. Creation of a flavor percept requires sampling a novel chemosensory stimulus; however, mammals exhibit robust neophobic behavior when presented with new chemosensory stimuli. To determine preferences for novel odorants and experienced odor-taste mixtures, we employ a two-bottle brief-access preference task where two chemosensory stimuli are presented simultaneously. We found that rats show a preference for water over a novel odor until the odor is paired with a pleasant taste. Additionally, rats prefer an odor-taste mixture containing the odor previously paired with a pleasant taste, regardless of odor-taste congruence. Finally, we show that rats prefer a novel odor to an experienced-unpleasant odor, but prefer an experienced-pleasant odor.
Recommended Citation
McQueen, Kelsey Allison, "Preference for odor-taste mixtures is dependent on previous experience." (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3175.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/3175
