Neurogastronomy

by Shepherd, Gordon M.

• ISBN13: 9780231159104
• ISBN10: 0231159102
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-10-28
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

Gordon M. Shepherd, a leading neuroscientist at Yale University, embarks on an eye-opening trip through the human brain's "flavor system," establishing the parameters of a new field: neurogastronomy. Challenging the belief that humans' sense of smell diminished as they made the leap from primate to human, Shepherd contends this sense, the main element of flavor, is far more powerful and important than we think. Shepherd begins with the mechanics of smell, the way it stimulates the nose as it hits the back of the mouth. From the food we eat, the brain represents smells as spatial patterns, and out of these, it constructs flavor. He then considers the effect of the flavor system on many contemporary social, behavioral, and medical issues. He analyzes flavor's engagement with the brain regions controlling emotion, food preferences, and cravings, and he even devotes a section to food's role in drug addiction and, building on Proust's iconic tale of the madeleine, its ability to evoke deep memories. Shepherd discusses the link between his research and trends in nutrition, dieting, and obesity, particularly the challenge to eat healthy. He concludes with human perceptions of smell and flavor and their insight into the neural basis of consciousness. Everyone from casual diners and amateur foodies to wine critics, chefs, scholars, and researchers will be thrilled by Shepherd's scientific-gastronomic adventures.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction Retronasal Smell and the New Age of Flavor	p. 1
Noses and Smells
The Revolution in Smell and Flavor	p. 11
Dogs, Humans, and Retronasal Smell	p. 19
How the Mouth Fools the Brain	p. 28
The Molecules of Flavor	p. 33
Making Pictures of Smells
Smell Receptors for Smell Molecules	p. 47
Forming a Sensory Image	p. 59
Images of Smell: An "Aha" Moment	p. 66
A Smell Is Like a Face	p. 76
Pointillist Images of Smell	p. 85
Enhancing the Image	p. 92
Creating, Learning, and Remembering Smell	p. 99
Creating Flavor
Smell and Flavor	p. 109
Taste and Flavor	p. 117
Mouth-Sense and Flavor	p. 128
Seeing and Flavor	p. 135
Hearing and Flavor	p. 143
The Muscles of Flavor	p. 147
Putting It Together: The Human Brain Flavor System	p. 155
Why It Matters
Flavor and Emotions	p. 165
Flavor and Memory: Reinterpreting Proust	p. 174
Flavor and Obesity	p. 184
Decisions and the Neuroeconomics of Flavor and Nutrition	p. 192
Plasticity in the Human Brain Flavor System	p. 200
Smell, Flavor, and Language	p. 207
Smell, Flavor, and Consciousness	p. 216
Smell and Flavor in Human Evolution	p. 224
Why Flavor Matters	p. 233
Bibliography	p. 243
Index	p. 257
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