The Flexibility of Chemosensory Preferences

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the importance of the flexibility of chemosensory preferences and how and to what extent they can be modulated. Chemosensory preferences refer to preferences regarding odors, flavors, and tastes. The valuation of any sensory stimulus depends on a number of factors, some of them shared across sensory modalities, others more tightly linked to specific sensory systems. The impact of diet on food consumption preferences has been experimentally studied, both at the behavioral and at the neural level. Results have shown that participants trying to control themselves chose unhealthy but tasty food items less frequently than did participants who were not trying to control themselves. The role played by brands has been an important topic in understanding the dynamics of chemosensory preferences. Regarding the flexibility of chemosensory preferences more specifically, two cerebral regions seem to be particularly involved: the amygdala and the OBC cortex. The amygdala appears to act as a relevance detector.

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