Caloric and non-caloric versions of a soft drink differentially affect taste activation before consumption

Introduction Meal termination is brought about by a combination of sensory satiation, gastric signals of fullness and metabolic satiation (energy repletion). Previously, it has been shown that taste activation in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) decreases due to sensory satiation. We hypothesize that smaller sips are associated with more sensory stimulation and therefore with greater sensory satiation and a greater decrease in taste activation. In addition, sensory and metabolic satiation could have separate as well as synergistic effects on brain activation. Here, we varied sip size and energy-content of a soft drink and measured the effects of its consumption on the brain activation associated with tasting using functional MRI.