Budget Amount *help |
¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2016: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
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Outline of Final Research Achievements |
To investigate the cause of the age-related changes in taste sensitivity, we compared the peripheral taste detection systems in young and old mice. We examined whether taste sensitivity varied according to age. We confirmed that the taste sensitivities altered with aging by behavioral and electrophysiological assays. Although we evaluated the expressions of taste-related molecules in the taste buds, no apparent differences in the expressions of representative taste receptors were observed between the two age groups. Moreover, no significant differences in the turnover rates of taste bud cells were observed between the two age groups. Thus, we did not observe any large decreases in the expressions of taste-related molecules and turnover rates of taste bud cells with aging. Based on these findings, we conclude that changes in taste sensitivity with aging were not caused by aging-related degradation of peripheral taste organs.
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