Taste and olfactory status in a gourmand with a right amygdala lesion

Neurocase. 2014 Aug;20(4):421-33. doi: 10.1080/13554794.2013.791862. Epub 2013 May 13.

Abstract

In a patient with a lesion of the right amygdala and temporal pole who had the characteristics of the gourmand syndrome, sensory and hedonic testing was performed to examine the processing of taste, olfactory, and some emotional stimuli. The gourmand syndrome describes a preoccupation with food and a preference for fine eating and is associated with right anterior lesions. It was found that the taste thresholds for sweet, salt, bitter, and sour were normal; that the patient did not dislike the taste of salt (NaCl) at low and moderate concentrations as much as age-matched controls; that this also occurred for monosodium glutamate (MSG); that there were some olfactory differences from normal controls; and that there was a marked reduction in the ability to detect face expressions of disgust.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amygdala / pathology*
  • Emotions
  • Facial Expression
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / pathology*
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / psychology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Meningioma / complications
  • Meningioma / pathology
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Sensory Thresholds / physiology
  • Smell / physiology*
  • Taste / physiology*
  • Taste Threshold / physiology