neurogastronomy

Neurogastronomy is an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, sensory science, and gastronomy that investigates how the brain creates flavor, taste, and eating behaviors. It examines how gustatory and olfactory signals are transformed into perceptual experiences and how context, expectation, and culture influence those experiences.

Key neural processes involve the primary gustatory cortex in the insula, with secondary processing in the orbitofrontal cortex, and engagement of reward and memory circuits including the amygdala and hippocampus. Multisensory integration combines taste, aroma, texture, temperature, and visual cues to yield flavor perception. The brain’s reward pathways underpin enjoyment, craving, and decision making about eating.

Researchers use functional imaging (fMRI, PET), electrophysiological methods, and psychophysical testing, along with behavioral and ethnographic studies, to map how flavor is encoded and modulated by factors such as expectation, labeling, hunger, sensory deprivation, and aging. The field also explores how cultural background and learning shape perceptual experiences of food.

The term neurogastronomy was popularized in the early 2010s by neuroscientist Gordon M. Shepherd to describe attempts to explain culinary experience through brain science. The field remains interdisciplinary and international, with contributions from academia and industry.

Applications include informing culinary innovation, designing healthier or more appealing foods, understanding eating disorders and obesity, and guiding mindful eating practices. Critics note challenges in translating laboratory findings to real-world eating and the subjective, culturally influenced nature of flavor.