Frequent minty chewing gum use is associated with increased trigeminal sensitivity: An fMRI study

Repeated sensory exposure through frequent consumption of certain foods leads to changes in the processing of sensory cues. We investigated the influence of frequent minty chewing gum consumption on the neurobehavioral processing of intranasal trigeminal and olfactory stimuli. fMRI responses to a trigeminal minty odor (L-menthol), a non-trigeminal minty odor (L-carvone), and a non-trigeminal non-minty odor (strawberry) were assessed in 29 young adults (mean age = 23 years, SD = 4.3 years; mean BMI = 22.7, SD = 1.9; thirteen females), who were divided into a minty chewing gum high frequency (N = 18) and a low infrequency (N = 11) groups based on their self-reported frequency of chewing gum consumption. Participants' performance for odor lateralization, ratings for perceived odor intensity, pleasantness, familiarity, and pungency were also collected. Compared to the low frequency group, the high frequency group rated L-menthol as more familiar and performed better during the L-menthol lateralization test. The high frequency group compared to low frequency group showed stronger activation in trigeminal and somatosensory brain regions during perception of trigeminal component. These findings suggest an association between frequent minty odor exposure and increased neurobehavioral sensitivity to intranasal trigeminal stimulation.