Contact Information

(267) 519-4788

Catherine Peyrot Des Gachons

Research Associate

Education

Ph.D., Medical and Food Sciences; University of Bordeaux

Research Summary

My research interests are human oral perception, its genetic basis and its implications in nutrition and health. Somatosensation, such as irritation and mouthfeel, is my main current focus through the study of natural products like wine, olive oil and spices. I am using several techniques to investigate the field of somatosensation, including molecular biology, cellular calcium imaging and psychophysics.

Keywords

chemesthesis, mouthfeel, fluorescent calcium imaging, psychophysics, analytical chemistry, sensory transduction, oxidative stress, inflammation-related diseases

Recent Publications

Peyrot des Gachons, C.; Beauchamp, G. K.; Stern, R.M.; Koch, K. L. and Breslin, P. A. S. (2011). “Bitter taste induces nausea.” Current Biology. 21.7, R247-8.

Peyrot des Gachons, C.; Uchida, K., Bryant, B., Shima, A., Sperry, J. B., Dankulich-Nagrudny, L., Tominaga, M., Smith, A. B. III, Beauchamp, G. K. and Breslin, P. A. S. (2011). “Unusual pungency from extra-virgin olive oil is attributable to restricted spatial expression of the receptor of oleocanthal.” Journal of Neuroscience. 31.3, 999-1009.

Mandel, A. L.; Peyrot des Gachons, C.; Plank, K. L.; Alarcon, S. and Breslin, P. A. S. (2010). “Individual Differences in AMY1 Gene Copy Number, Salivary α-Amylase Levels, and the Perception of Oral Starch.” PLoS ONE. 5, e13352.

Peyrot des Gachons, C.; Beauchamp, G. K. and Breslin, P. A. S. (2009). “The genetics of bitterness and pungency detection and its impact on phytonutrient evaluation.” International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste: Annual of the New York Academy of Science. 1170, 140-144.

Peyrot des Gachons, C. and Breslin P. A. S. (2009). “Chemosensory perception.” Food Science & Technology. 23.2.