Method of Modifying Spatial Taste Location Through Multielectrode Galvanic Taste Stimulation

Galvanic taste stimulation (GTS) is a technique of electrical stimulation that induces, inhibits, and enhances human taste sensations. This work focuses on a GTS method that induces taste sensation using electrodes attached to the chin and to the back of the neck. The authors aim to establish an advanced GTS method that induces taste sensations at specific locations inside the buccal cavity, without attaching electrodes inside the mouth. Conventionally, the location in the buccal cavity where the taste sensation has been perceived was uncontrollable, and it has been used to induce taste sensations for the whole buccal cavity or the throat. We hypothesized that the position of the taste induction can be affected by the electrical potential distribution inside the mouth. Then, we conducted simulations and experiments to verify the hypothesis with regard to control over spatial selectivity. Specifically, we developed a novel GTS configuration using electrodes attached around the head. We verified that the developed multielectrode GTS configuration can manipulate the electrical potential distribution in the tongue, and that it can manipulate the position where the sensation of taste is induced. To the best of our understanding, this is the first report that realized induction of spatially selective taste sensations at a specific position in the buccal cavity.