UNASSIGNED: Many @entity1 misidentify the quality of taste stimuli, a phenomenon termed "taste @entity911 ." In this study of 1000 @entity1 , we examined the influences of age, sex, causes of @entity132 , and genetically determined @entity30451 ( @entity32273 ) taster status on taste quality confusions for four tastants ( @entity969 , @entity1792 , @entity2827 , @entity5834 ). Overall, sour-bitter confusions were most common (19.3%), followed by bitter-sour (11.4%), salty-bitter (7.3%), salty-sour (7.0%), bitter-salty (3.5%), bitter-sweet (3.4), and sour-salty (2.4%) confusions. Confusions for sweet were <1%. Asymmetries were common (e.g., bitter-sour confusions were less frequent than sour-bitter confusions). @entity1 had fewer salty-bitter confusions than did @entity1 (5.7% vs. 11.4%). Overall, @entity32273 tasters had fewer confusions than non-tasters except for salty-bitter confusions. Confusions typically increased monotonically with age. Current smokers exhibited more sour-bitter confusions than never smokers (48.9% vs. 32.2%), whereas past smokers had more bitter-sour confusions than never smokers (23.8% vs. 14.2%). Previous @entity542 was associated with higher bitter-salty and salty-bitter confusions relative to those of some other etiologies. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that multiple subject factors influence taste confusions and, along with literature accounts, supports the view that there are both biological and psychological determinants of taste quality confusions.

Taste Quality Confusions: Influences of Age, Smoking, XXXX Taster Status, and other Subject Characteristics.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Women', 'persons', 'men'] @entity132 :: ('MESH:D010468', 'Disease') :: ['chemosensory disturbances'] @entity1792 :: ('MESH:D019343', 'Chemical') :: ['citric acid'] @entity542 :: ('MESH:D006259', 'Disease') :: ['head trauma'] @entity32273 :: ('MESH:D005164', 'Chemical') :: ['PTC'] @entity5834 :: ('MESH:D002110', 'Chemical') :: ['caffeine'] @entity969 :: ('MESH:D013395', 'Chemical') :: ['sucrose'] @entity911 :: ('MESH:D003221', 'Disease') :: ['confusion'] @entity30451 :: ('MESH:D010670', 'Chemical') :: ['phenylthiocarbamide'] @entity2827 :: ('MESH:D012965', 'Chemical') :: ['sodium chloride']
@entity32273 :: (MESH:D005164,Chemical) :: ['PTC']
