迈阿密大学《JNeurosci》小鼠研究：酸味经血清素抑制甜苦咸，味觉信号入脑前已整合
迈阿密大学医学院的神经科学家在小鼠实验中发现，味觉信号在传入大脑之前就已整合处理：酸味会通过血清素抑制甜、苦、咸三种味觉信号。研究刊登于《神经科学杂志》（Journal of Neuroscience，JNeurosci）。
研究显示，酸味感受细胞在被酸激活后，会释放血清素，进而抑制甜、苦、咸味觉细胞向大脑传递信号。研究者指出，这是一种“味觉的鸡尾酒会效应”：在多种味道同时出现时，酸味能让大脑优先分辨食物是否变质、是否安全，而不是被其他味道干扰。团队表示，此前普遍认为五种基本味觉是独立通路、只在大脑中整合，而新结果显示整合在舌头处就已开始。
该团队下一步计划研究酸味抑制作用在肥胖、糖尿病与衰老等状态下是否会改变，并探索利用这一机制帮助改善食欲与饮食行为。
University of Miami JNeurosci Study in Mice: Sour Taste Suppresses Sweet, Bitter and Salty Signals via Serotonin Before Taste Signals Reach the Brain
Neuroscientists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have found that taste signals are already processed before they reach the brain. In mouse experiments, sour taste suppresses signals for sweet, bitter and salty tastes via serotonin. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience (JNeurosci).
The study shows that sour taste receptor cells release serotonin when activated by acid, inhibiting the transmission of sweet, bitter and salty signals to the brain. The researchers describe this as a "cocktail party effect" for taste: when multiple tastes are present at once, sour taste allows the brain to prioritize detecting whether food has gone sour or is safe, rather than being overwhelmed by other flavors. The team notes that it was previously thought that the five basic tastes travel via independent pathways and are integrated only in the brain, whereas the new findings show integration begins in the tongue.
The team next plans to investigate whether the sour-suppressing effect changes in obesity, diabetes and aging, and to explore whether the mechanism can be leveraged to improve appetite and eating behavior.
图中是舌头与味蕾的示意呈现，本研究测量味觉信号从舌头传向大脑的过程。
来源：迈阿密大学
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图为舌头与味蕾示意部位图。Saurabh R. Patil, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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