Genomic study of taste perception genes in African Americans reveals SNPs linked to Alzheimer's disease.

While previous research has shown the potential links between taste perception pathways and brain-related conditions, the area involving Alzheimer's disease remains incompletely understood. Taste perception involves neurotransmitter signaling, including serotonin, glutamate, and dopamine. Disruptions in these pathways are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.

Infant mortality in Ghana: investing in health care infrastructure and systems.

Child and infant mortality is a global problem. Almost half of deaths of children under age 5 years occur in the neonatal period, the first 28 days of life, with 2.4 million neonatal deaths globally in 2020.

Contrasting Patterns of Gene Duplication, Relocation, and Selection Among Human Taste Genes.

In humans, taste genes are responsible for perceiving at least 5 different taste qualities. Human taste genes' evolutionary mechanisms need to be explored. We compiled a list of 69 human taste-related genes and divided them into 7 functional groups.

Relationship between BMI and alcohol consumption levels in decision making.

Background: Decision-making deficits in obesity and alcohol use disorder (AUD) may contribute to the choice of immediate rewards despite their long-term deleterious consequences.

Methods: Gambling task functional MRI in Human connectome project (HCP) dataset was used to investigate neural activation differences associated with reward or punishment (a key component of decision-making behavior) in 418 individuals with obesity (high BMI) and without obesity (lean BMI) and either at high (HR) or low (LR) risk of AUD based on their alcohol drinking levels.

Results: Interaction between BMI and alcohol drinking was seen in regions of the default mode network (DMN) and those implicated in self-related processing, memory, and salience attribution.

Sensory cue reactivity: Sensitization in alcohol use disorder and obesity.

Neuroimaging techniques to measure the function of the human brain such as electroencephalography (EEG), positron emission tomography (PET), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are powerful tools for understanding the underlying neural circuitry associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and obesity. The sensory (visual, taste and smell) paradigms used in neuroimaging studies represent an ideal platform to investigate the connection between the different neural circuits subserving the reward/executive control systems in these disorders, which may offer a translational mechanism for novel intervention predictions. Thus, the current review provides an integrated summary of the recent neuroimaging studies that have applied cue-reactivity paradigms and neuromodulation strategies to explore underlying alterations in neural circuitry as well in treatment strategies in AUD and obesity.

Neuroimaging of Sex/Gender Differences in Obesity: A Review of Structure, Function, and Neurotransmission.

While the global prevalence of obesity has risen among both men and women over the past 40 years, obesity has consistently been more prevalent among women relative to men. Neuroimaging studies have highlighted several potential mechanisms underlying an individual's propensity to become obese, including sex/gender differences. Obesity has been associated with structural, functional, and chemical alterations throughout the brain.

Brain Imaging of Taste Perception in Obesity: a Review.

Purpose Of Review: We summarize neuroimaging findings related to processing of taste (fat, salt, umami, bitter, and sour) in the brain and how they influence hedonic responses and eating behaviors and their role in obesity.

Recent Findings: Neuroimaging studies in obese individuals have revealed alterations in reward/motivation, executive control/self-regulation, and limbic/affective circuits that are implicated in food and drug addiction. Psychophysical studies show that sensory properties of food ingredients may be associated with anthropometric and neurocognitive outcomes in obesity.

Individual Differences Among Children in Sucrose Detection Thresholds: Relationship With Age, Gender, and Bitter Taste Genotype.

Background: Little research has focused on whether there are individual differences among children in their sensitivity to sweet taste and, if so, the biological correlates of such differences.

Objectives: Our goal was to understand how variations in children's sucrose detection thresholds relate to their age and gender, taste genotype, body composition, and dietary intake of added sugars.

Methods: Sucrose detection thresholds in 7- to 14-year-old children were tested individually using a validated, two-alternative, forced-choice, paired-comparison tracking method.