1981 — 1988 |
Frank, Marion |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Peripheral Mechanisms in Gustation @ University of Connecticut Health Center |
0.915 |
1986 — 1998 |
Frank, Marion Elizabeth |
P01Activity Code Description: For the support of a broadly based, multidisciplinary, often long-term research program which has a specific major objective or a basic theme. A program project generally involves the organized efforts of relatively large groups, members of which are conducting research projects designed to elucidate the various aspects or components of this objective. Each research project is usually under the leadership of an established investigator. The grant can provide support for certain basic resources used by these groups in the program, including clinical components, the sharing of which facilitates the total research effort. A program project is directed toward a range of problems having a central research focus, in contrast to the usually narrower thrust of the traditional research project. Each project supported through this mechanism should contribute or be directly related to the common theme of the total research effort. These scientifically meritorious projects should demonstrate an essential element of unity and interdependence, i.e., a system of research activities and projects directed toward a well-defined research program goal. P50Activity Code Description: To support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical problem area. These grants differ from program project grants in that they are usually developed in response to an announcement of the programmatic needs of an Institute or Division and subsequently receive continuous attention from its staff. Centers may also serve as regional or national resources for special research purposes. |
Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center @ University of Connecticut Sch of Med/Dnt
The Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) conducts basic and clinical research on chemosensory systems. The goals of the CCCRC are to operate a Taste and Smell Clinic and collect data on chemosensory disorders, to test clinical hypotheses regarding the effects and treatment of chemosensory disorders, and to develop basic knowledge about chemosensory systems. It is a fundamental tenet of the CCCRC that both clinical and basic science develop more efficiently if they interact. At the heart of the CCCRC is the Taste and Smell Clinic, which is comprised of a multidisciplinary team concerned with developing ways to evaluate and treat people with chemosensory disorders. Among its activities are research on treatment of olfactory loss due to nasal/sinus disease and burning mouth syndrome, and systematic follow-up of patients with no current treatment options. The CCCRC Data Base, which currently contains comprehensive data on 745 Taste and Smell Clinic patients, is being maintained, expanded, and utilized for diagnosis, prognosis, and research. CCCRC clinical research projects, which involve basic scientists addressing clinical issues, have evolved directly from patient contact. One project examines localized taste losses and oral phantoms of dysgeusia and burning mouth in people, another psychosocial adjustments of people with untreatable smell disorders, and a third oral chemosensory perceptions and integrity of the taste epithelium in people with nerve lesions. CCCRC basic research projects address degeneration and regeneration of the hamster peripheral taste system after nerve injury, anatomical and physiological organization of the hamster gustatory central nervous system at brainstem and forebrain levels, functional organization of projections of olfactory receptor neurons to the olfactory bulb in rats, and the development of taste preferences in human infants. The activities of the Taste and Smell Clinic and CCCRC clinical and basic research are benefiting people who suffer from taste and smell disorders.
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0.982 |
1990 — 1996 |
Frank, Marion Elizabeth |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Peripheral Gustatory Mechanisms @ University of Connecticut Sch of Med/Dnt
The processing of taste stimuli by the peripheral gustatory nervous system will be studied. The primary method used is electrophysiological recording from single neurons in the hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) chorda tympani, the nerve that innervates taste buds on the anterior tongue. Stimulus parameters for three physiologically defined populations of nerve fibers will be determined for single compounds and binary and ternary mixtures of taste stimuli. The effects of specific ion channel blockers, applied immediately before or mixed stimuli, will address the roles of Na+, K+, Ca++, and anion channels in stimulus reception and transduction. Responses of the nerve fibers to mixtures of stimuli will be studied to establish mechanisms of mixture interaction such as suppression or synergism in each population of nerve fibers. Chemically diverse "sweeteners" will be studied pairwise by neural cross-adaptation and behavioral cross- generalization to address whether they stimulate distinct "neural activation" process and are discriminable. Cross-generalizations in hamsters lacking taste information carried by the facial nerve from the anterior tongue and palate will be studied to identify the roles of different taste nerves in perception of "sweeteners". These experiments are expected to help establish basic mechanisms involved in chemoreception and neural processing of chemosensory information. Three different levels of inquiry focus on the contribution of receptors, primary afferents, and cranial nerves to the coding of gustatory quality and intensity. Understanding of processing of taste stimuli may lead to the control of sugar and sodium ingestion, which contributes to common health problems.
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0.982 |
1990 — 1992 |
Frank, Marion Elizabeth |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Taste Quality Representation in the Solitary Nucleus @ University of Connecticut Sch of Med/Dnt
The solitary nucleus (nucleus tractus solitarii) the first central relay for taste in mammals, is being studied anatomically and physiologically in the hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) . The objective is to understand how the neurons in the solitary nucleus process taste quality information from taste buds on the anterior tongue by studying structural and functional properties of single solitary nucleus neurons. One approach is determining whether extracellularly recorded physiological responses of solitary nucleus neurons are arranged in a chemotopic pattern within the anatomical dimensions of the gustatory region of the solitary nucleus. Taste-responsive cells with a wide range of chemical sensitivities that could form the basis for a chemotopic organization are found within the solitary nucleus. Using an optimal mapping strategy, representations of taste quality will be defined by reconstructing recording sites from histological sections within the context of known cytoarchitectonic subdivisions of the solitary nucleus. A second approach is establishing the morphologies of cells within the solitary nucleus that are processing taste information by intracellularly recording responses to taste stimuli and filling cells with a dye. The rostral-central subdivision of the solitary nucleus, where many neural units responsive to anterior tongue taste stimulation are located, contains varieties of elongate, stellate and tufted cells, which may play different roles in taste processing. Signalling and synaptic properties of cells will be recorded. Morphological properties of cells will be determined by reconstructing soma and dendritic and axonal processes from histological sections. Locations and varieties of synaptic endings will be determined from electron micrographs for selected filled neurons. These studies will be a basis for hypotheses about the role of cellular and synaptic organization in signal coding in the solitary nucleus. Diet plays a role in many common diseases and the sweet and salty tastes influence dietary choices; understanding the way that the brain codes taste information could lead to control of sugar and sodium intake.
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0.982 |
1996 — 1998 |
Frank, Marion Elizabeth |
P50Activity Code Description: To support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical problem area. These grants differ from program project grants in that they are usually developed in response to an announcement of the programmatic needs of an Institute or Division and subsequently receive continuous attention from its staff. Centers may also serve as regional or national resources for special research purposes. |
Chemosensory Quality Discrimination @ University of Connecticut Sch of Med/Dnt
taste; sensory discrimination; taste buds; sensory disorder diagnosis; chorda tympani; injury; evoked potentials; taste disorders; taste threshold; behavioral /social science research tag; chemical stimulation; human subject; electrostimulus;
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0.982 |
1999 — 2010 |
Frank, Marion Elizabeth |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Peripheral Gustatory Processing @ University of Connecticut Sch of Med/Dnt
Recent convergence of several lines of experimental evidence ranging from molecular biology to behavior has helped to expose some of the basic mechanisms of the gustatory system. Three integrated behavioral, neurophysiological and genetic studies are proposed on golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and laboratory mice aimed at delineating the functioning of their sweet (attracting) and bitter (avoiding) taste systems. (1) Studies of mixtures address the nature, specificity and component inhibition in peripheral mixture processing by testing the ability of hamsters to recognize components in sucrose-quinine, dulcin- quinine and sucrose-quinine-NaCI mixtures. With a quasi-natural conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm, hamsters trained to avoid components, by pairing drinking with LiCI injection, are behaviorally tested on binary and ternary mixtures. Chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal nerve recordings are used to test the limits of peripheral stimulation and inhibition on behavior; and, for Na+-quinine suppression, stimulus, nerve, and neuron specificity. (2) A definition of a bitter taste quality for hamsters is sought with behavioral and neural assays of aversive stimuli with diverse chemical (e.g., ionic vs. non-ionic) and biological (e.g., exposure-enhanced potency) properties. (3) Studies of genetic variation in sweet and bitter taste domains in multiple inbred strains of golden hamsters and mice seek sources of intake variation with behavioral assays and nerve recordings. Unitary bitter and unitary sweet hypotheses are tested by measuring thresholds for CTA learning and generalizing to multiple stimuli in mice selected for genetic variation in taste preferences and avoidances. The mouse behavioral experiments compare all stimuli at equal CTA saliency to avoid confounding stimulus concentration and intensity. Interpretation of mouse data is greatly facilitated by recent advances in definition of gustatory molecular receptors. By comparing data from hamsters and mice, we hope to establish common features that can be used to describe essential taste phenomena. Understanding taste function is a prerequisite for redressing taste disorders that can lead to serious problems with nutrition and homeostasis. Also, elimination of taste disorders would improve the quality of life that depends on enjoyment of food and drink, a universal human need contributing much to human sociality.
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0.982 |
2003 — 2007 |
Frank, Marion Elizabeth |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Human Salty and Bitter Taste Mechanisms @ University of Connecticut Sch of Med/Dnt
[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mechanisms of salty and bitter chemoreception in humans are not well understood, in part because compounds that block these tastes have not been available; and importantly, because animals models for salty and bitter taste perceptions are not fully applicable. Chlorhexidine glueonate, a bis-biguanide antiseptic, and weak cathodal electric current greatly decrease salty and bitter tastes. Besides adaptation, no other experimental manipulations are known to have comparable effects in humans. Chlorhexidine is very bitter, but not salty. Chlorhexidine binds strongly to tissue, which may be related to its unique bis-cationic structure, giving it a long-lasting effect. Human psychophysical experiments are proposed. Cation/anion specificity of salty-bitter taste inhibition by 3 levels of chlorhexidine and 2 levels of weak cathodal current is studied with experiments utilizing rating of taste intensity and taste-quality identification of equi-intense stimuli. Taste stimulus identification is studied after treatment with two levels of chlorhexidine with measures of information transferred (in bits). T10, a measure of consistency, is computed from a matrix of 10 replicate identifications of 10 stimuli. Forty-five T2s, measures of stimulus discriminability, are computed for all possible stimulus pairs. This "confusion-matrix" methodology is an efficient and objective method for determining discriminability of multiple stimuli. Various salt and bitter stimulus combinations are included in sets of equi-intense stimuli to test the hypothesis that chlorhexidine affects ionic bitter stimuli more than nonionic bitter stimuli. Two levels of chlorhexidine are used with concentration series of sucrose, NaCI, citric acid and quinine HCl to address the nature of the inhibition. Effects of adaptation to other bitter stimuli on the bitter taste of chlorhexidine are studied to establish whether one mechanism of action of chlorhexidine could involve its binding to a subset of bitter receptors. The experiments address the general hypothesis that transduction of salty stimuli is unitary, depending on ion-transport pathways; but bitter transduction is multiple, including ionic and non-ionic mechanisms. Greater understanding of gustatory perceptual processing in humans may lead to better management of taste disorders such as distressful salty-bitter dysgeusias and excessive salt intake.
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0.982 |
2006 — 2008 |
Frank, Marion Elizabeth |
M01Activity Code Description: An award made to an institution solely for the support of a General Clinical Research Center where scientists conduct studies on a wide range of human diseases using the full spectrum of the biomedical sciences. Costs underwritten by these grants include those for renovation, for operational expenses such as staff salaries, equipment, and supplies, and for hospitalization. A General Clinical Research Center is a discrete unit of research beds separated from the general care wards. |
Chlorhexidine and Localized Taste Stimulation @ University of Connecticut Sch of Med/Dnt
1,1'-HBCB; 2,4,11,13-Tetraazatetradecanediimidamide, N,N''-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-3,12-diimino-; 4(1H)-Pyrimidinone, 2,3-dihydro-6-propyl-2-thioxo-; 6-Propyl-2-Thiouracil; ANOVA; Address; Affect; After Care; After-Treatment; Aftercare; Analysis of Variance; Apex of tongue; Area; Back; Bilateral; Buccal Cavity; CRISP; Cavitas Oris; Chlorhexidine; Chronic Periodontitis; Cinchonan-9-ol, 6'-methoxy-, (8alpha,9R)-; Citric Acid; Clinic; Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects Database; Condition; Cotton Plant; Dorsal; Dorsum; Funding; Gossypium; Grant; Gustation; Head and Neck, Buccal Cavity; Human; Human, General; Hydrogen Oxide; Institution; Investigators; Lateral; Localized; Man (Taxonomy); Man, Modern; Measures; Mouth; NIH; National Institutes of Health; National Institutes of Health (U.S.); Olfaction; Olfactions; Oral cavity; Outcome; Palate; Periodontitis; Personal Satisfaction; Propylthiouracil; Quinine; Randomized; Receptor Protein; Research; Research Personnel; Research Resources; Researchers; Resources; Saccharose; Site; Smell; Smell Perception; Sodium Chloride; Sodium chloride (NaCl); Source; Stimulus; Sucrose; Swab; Taste; Taste Perception; Testing; Time; Tip of the Tongue; Tongue; United States National Institutes of Health; Variance Analyses; Water; alpha-D-Glucopyranoside, beta-D-fructofuranosyl; base; chlorhexidine bigluconate; chlorhexidine digluconate; chlorhexidine gluconate; cotton; day; randomisation; randomization; randomly assigned; receptor; salt; tongue apex; volunteer; well-being
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0.982 |