The Integration of Taste and Smell in the Human Brain-------How We Perceive Flavor

Abstract

Whenever we like food, we say that it “tastes good”. However, most of what we refer to as taste is actually smell. This paper examines how the human brain integrates signals from taste buds and the nose to form the perception of flavor. A common misconception among the general public is that these two signals are completely separate. However, they do have interactions, particularly in regions of the brain, such as the orbitofrontal cortex, where finally the tongue meets the olfactory system. One of the concepts that will be discussed is retronasal olfaction: the process by which odors from food in the mouth travel upward into the nose during chewing and swallowing. This paper discusses the conclusions based on reading the paper from Small et al. (2004), who, through imaging research, found that different brain regions react differently to the same smell, depending on how it enters the head through the nose or the mouth. Through a review of neuroscience and behavioral research, this paper aims to demonstrate that flavor is not merely a sensation of the tongue. It is, in fact, a multisensory process that is influenced by biology, memory, and culture.