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Research
Interests
My
research program focuses on the development of food
and flavor preferences in humans and the effects of
alcohol and tobacco on women’s health and infant development.
Current research studies focus on the following areas:
1) how maternal diet alters the aromatic profiles
of amniotic fluid and mother's milk
and how such early flavor experiences affect food
preferences during weaning and childhood; 2) elucidation
of sensitive periods in flavor
learning and food preferences in humans; 3) developing
strategies to promote acceptance of fruits and vegetables
in infants and children;
4) studying the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
of alcohol in women; 5) determining the effects of
alcohol consumption on hormonal
responses and lactational performance; 6) studying
the relationship between family history of alcoholism,
tobacco use and sweet taste
preferences/analgesia across the lifespan; 7) learning
how parental drinking and smoking impact on sleep
and activity patterns as well
as on the hedonic response to the sensory properties
of these drugs in children; and 8) elucidating the
contribution of genes and experiential
factors to individual differences in taste and smell
preferences among children.
My Monell Publications |