A study on the age dependency of gustatory states: Low-frequency spectral component in the resting-state MEG

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings were evaluated for 25 healthy female volunteers, in five different gustatory states: normal, sweet, bitter, sour and salty. The study population was divided in two groups according to age: group A (10-19 years old) and group B (20-30 years old). There was a higher count of low frequencies (2 Hz) and a lower count of high frequencies (7 Hz) with increasing age, in all studied states. We compared each state for the frequencies of 2Hz and 7Hz between the two groups. Statistically significant differences were found in the normal and sweet states for the frequencies of 2Hz and 7Hz and in the salty taste in the frequency of 7 Hz. We also intra-compared the five states in group A and the five states in group B for the 2Hz and 7Hz frequencies. The results were not statistically significant. A differentiation in the distribution of the frequencies with increasing age may provide new insights into the age-dependence of taste quality brain centers.