# Mechanosensory substrates of flavor in the mammalian tongue

> **NIH NIH R21** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $58,169

## Abstract

Project summary/abstract
 Flavor is a multi-sensory percept involving taste, olfaction, thermosensation and mechanosensation. Such
flavor profiles affect food consumption and nutritional intake in humans. Behavioral and anatomical studies
provide strong premise for a role for oral somesthesis in flavor perception, and food texture has long been
appreciated as a cause of food rejection; however, mechanisms by which mechanosensory neurons influence
taste in the mammalian nervous system are poorly defined. Fundamental open questions include: what are the
identities of mechanosensory neurons in the tongue? What are the ion channels that underlie mammalian tongue
mechanosensation? The long-term goal of this research program is to elucidate how mechanosensory neurons
influence flavor perception.
 We previously identified putative mechanosensory endings in the tongue through anatomical analysis, yet
our preliminary functional findings suggest that there are likely more classes of mechanosensory neurons
innervating the tongue. The Aims proposed in this project will characterize the anatomical, functional, and
molecular properties of tongue innervating mechanoreceptors (Aim 1), and identify mechanotransduction
channels that underlie tongue mechanosensation (Aim 2). We use a combination of mouse transgenic
technology, histology, in vivo calcium imaging, and tracing to carry out these Aims. Collectively, this research
will generate a comprehensive understanding of trigeminal mechanosensory neurons that innervate the tongue,
develop essential molecular tools needed for future studies on flavor perception, and provide a foundation for a
strong research program in the field of flavor biology. The work outlined in these Aims will also provide necessary
data for a competitive R01 application geared towards unraveling mechanosensory integration with flavor
circuitry in the central nervous system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11101960
- **Project number:** 3R21DC018898-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** YALDA MOAYEDI-ESFAHANI
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $58,169
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-12-01 → 2025-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11101960

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11101960, Mechanosensory substrates of flavor in the mammalian tongue (3R21DC018898-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11101960. Licensed CC0.

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