The appreciation of wine by sommeliers: a functional magnetic resonance study of sensory integration

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 570 - 578
• Main Authors: Castriota-Scanderbeg, Alessandro, Hagberg, Gisela E., Cerasa, Antonio, Committeri, Giorgia, Galati, Gaspare, Patria, Fabiana, Pitzalis, Sabrina, Caltagirone, Carlo, Frackowiak, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2005; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Brain; Brain Mapping; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; fMRI; Glucose; Gustatory system; Humans; Insular cortex; Learning - physiology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Mouth; Nerve Net; Sensory integration; Studies; Taste - physiology; Wine; Wine tasting; Italy; fMRI; Wine tasting; Gustatory system; Sensory integration; Insular cortex
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.11.045

We set out to investigate how the expertise of a sommelier is embodied in neural circuitry by comparing brain activity elicited by wine tasting with that found in naïve drinkers of wine. We used fMRI to study 7 sommeliers and 7 age- and sex-matched control subjects to test the hypothesis that any difference in brain activity would reflect a learned ability to integrate information from gustatory and olfactory senses with past experience. A group analysis showed activation of a cerebral network involving the left insula and adjoining orbito-frontal cortex in sommeliers. Both these areas have been implicated in gustatory/olfactory integration in primates. In addition, activation was found bilaterally in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is implicated in high-level cognitive processes such as working memory and selection of behavioral strategies. Naïve individuals activated the primary gustatory cortex and brain areas, including the amygdala, implicated in emotional processing.