Mechanosensory substrates of flavor in the mammalian tongue

Project narrative Textural aspects of food, termed mouthfeel, are important flavor qualities that can determine whether food is eaten or discarded, and thus, are essential factors for dietary health. Currently, little is known about the basic neuronal mechanisms underlying mouthfeel or the processes by which this flavor modality modifies taste. This work provides a comprehensive identification of mammalian mechanosensory neurons of the tongue and identifies mechanotransduction channels that underlie mouthfeel, with the long-term goal of understanding how mechanosensation impacts flavor perception.