• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.235-244
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the appropriateness of gustatory features in product design affect product evaluation and accompanied response by using functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI). Through the pilot survey, we categorized the product designs into two groups based on the level of the appropriateness. The total of 40 product designs were selected as the experimental stimuli. 15 right-handed participants(mean age = 23.33, SD = 1.7) were scanned with 3T MRI machine(ISOL Tech, Oxford OR63). The experimental stimuli were passively presented inside the scanner. In post scanning session, participants were asked to measure their preference and buying intention to the product designs. The results show that both the preference and buying intention were significantly higher for the high appropriateness condition compared to those of low appropriateness designs. Caudate nucleus and putamen, areas related to the positive reward such as monetary acquisition showed greater activation in response to the designs of high appropriateness condition, compared to the low appropriateness designs.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2005

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to observe the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) contrast changes due to the reaction of human brain at a gustatory sense in response to a salty-taste stimulation. Materials and Methods : Twelve healthy, non-smoking, right-handed male subjects (mean age: 25.6, range: 23-28 years) participated in this salty-taste stimulus functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) study. MRI scans were performed with 1.57 GE Signa, using a multi-slice GE-EPI sequence according to a blood-oxy-gen-level dependent (BOLD) experiment paradigm. Scan parameters included matrix size $128\times128$, FOV 250 mm, TR 5000 msec, TE 60 msec, TH/GAP 5/2 mm. Sequential data acquisitions were carried out for 42 measurements with a repetition time of 5 sec for each taste-stimulus experiments. Analysis of fMRI data was carried out using SPM99 implemented in Matlab. NaCl solution $(3\%)$ was used as a salty stimulus. The task paradigm consisted of alternating rest-stimulus cycles (30-second rest, 15-second stimulus) for 210 seconds. During the stimulus period, NaCl-solution was presented to the subject's mouth through plastic tubes as a bolus of delivered every 5 sec using -processor controlled auto-syringe pump. Results : Insula, frontal opercular taste cortex, amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were activated by a salty-taste stimulation $(NaCl,\;3\%)$ in the fMRI experiments. And dosolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was also significantly responded to salty-taste stimuli. Activation areas of the right side hemisphere were more superior to the left side hemisphere. Conclusion : The results of this study well correspond to the fact that both insula, amygdala, OFC, DLPFC areas are established as taste cortical areas by neuronal recordings in primates. Authors found that laboratory-developed auto-syringe pump is suitable for gustatory fMRI study. Further research in this field will accelerate to inquire into the mechanism of higher order gustatory process.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.585-592
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• 2012

Food is crucial for the nutrition and survival of humans. Taste system is one of the fundamental senses. Taste cells detect and respond to five basic taste modalities (sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and umami). However, the cortical processing of taste sensation is much less understood. Recently, there were many efforts to observe the brain activation in response to taste stimulation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and optical imaging. These different techniques do not provide directly comparable data each other, but the complementary investigations with those techniques allowed the description and understanding of the sequence of events with the dynamics of the spatiotemporal pattern of activation in the brain in response to taste stimulation. The purpose of this study is the understanding of the brain activities to taste stimuli in sensory and affective aspects and the reviewing of the recent research of the gustotopic map by functional brain mapping.