bioRxivJClub
Taste preferences are influenced by temperature and the TRPM8 thermoreceptor
bioRxiv · · Preprint · Open access
Zumpano, Brooks + 1 more
Abstract ↗AI summary
The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Higher oral temperature (30°C) and higher quinine concentration jointly reduce quinine licking in both C57BL/6J and TRPM8 KO mice, with the strongest reduction at 30°C.
- Why it matters: Oral temperature shifts taste-driven behavior, but the contribution of somatosensory thermoreception—especially TRPM8—was unclear.
- What they did: In thermolickometry, water-restricted or -replete female and male TRPM8 gene-deficient and C57BL/6J mice (n = 69) received 10-sec brief-access trials with quinine at 15°C vs 30°C (0.03 vs 0.3 mM) and sugar at 15°C vs 30°C (100 vs 500 mM). Linear mixed models tested concentration and temperature effects on licking.
- The result: Temperature affected sugar licking only in TRPM8 KO mice, which licked fewer higher- than lower-temperature sugars, and KO mice showed reduced avidity for concentrated sugars versus B6 controls.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
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