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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Cortical taste activity in response to sucrose and sweeteners solutions: a study using gustatory evoked potential

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Introduction: Sweeteners are widespread in overweight or diabetic patients because of their high sweetening power and their light effect on glycaemia. Sweeteners effects on cortical activity, reflecting both cortical analysis and gustatory signalization pathway, are not well known. We observed previously that gustatory evoked potentials (GEPs) in response to sucrose varied in latency and/or in amplitude with sucrose concentration of the solution, the pleasantness of taste and the feeding status. The aim was to compare the gustatory cortical activity by recording GEPs in response to sucrose, aspartame and stevia solutions.Methods: Twenty healthy non-smoker adult volunteers were included (mean age 22 ± 2,47 years). GEPs were obtained after stimulation of taste receptors with sucrose and sweeteners solutions. Three randomly assigned sessions (during 3 different days) were performed for each subject: one with sucrose (10 g/100 ml of Evian water), one with aspartame (0.05 g/100 ml) and one with stevia (0.033 g/100 ml). Concentrations have been chosen in order to induce the same sweetening power for each molecule. Results: GEPs latency from primary gustatory cortex (Cz electrode) for sucrose, aspartame and stevia stimuli were respectively 149 ± 37 ms, 178 ± 42 ms and 203 ± 49ms, showing a significant shorter GEPs latency in response to the sucrose solution (p<0,05). The GEPs amplitude on Cz did not differ between the 3 stimuli.Discussion: The differences observed in GEPs latency between sucrose and sweeteners stimuli could be explained by different gustatory receptors or neurological pathways which may be activated by these substances.