Studying taste as a cutaneous sense

Taste perception always occurs amid thermal and mechanical stimulation. Evidence is reviewed that interactions take place between gustatory and somatosensory stimuli at every level of the taste system, from imperfect chemoreceptor selectivity in the periphery to convergence of gustatory and somatosensory pathways in the CNS. Parallels are drawn between thermal-tactile interactions in the skin and taste-somatosensory interactions in the oral cavity. New data are presented which support the hypothesis that tactile stimulation can affect localization of taste in a manner similar to the way touch affects localization of thermal sensations. In addition to sharpening taste localization, 'taste referral' to touch probably serves to bind tastes perceptually to the foods and beverages that give rise to them. This possibility is discussed in terms of understanding the interactive processes that govern how chemical, thermal and mechanical stimuli become integrated into coherent perceptions of foods and beverages. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.