TITLE:
Eye Blink Responses to the Four Basic Taste Stimuli in Healthy Young Humans
AUTHORS:
Ichiro Ashida, Yuko Tamaki, Yozo Miyaoka
KEYWORDS:
Eye Blink; Gustofacial Response; Taste; Adult Humans
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science,
Vol.3 No.4,
August
22,
2013
ABSTRACT: Taste stimuli can elicit facial responses, and the facial responses may be useful indexes of taste sensations. In this study, we propose that eye blinking is also elicited by taste stimuli and we examined eye blink responses in six healthy young adults. Low and high concentration solutions of the four basic taste qualities (sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness) and distilled water were delivered via a silicone tube. Facial responses were recorded by a video camera and eye blink responses were identified. The number of eye blinks in the 5 s following stimulation, and the latency and duration of the first eye blink, were quantified. High concentrations of sour and bitter solutions increased the number of eye blinks (195% and 227%, respectively; P P P