Abstract
The aim of this prospective study was to establish a clinical test for the assessment of oral trigeminal sensitivity. Capsaicin-impregnated filter paper strips (five concentrations: 0.0001–1%) were used to measure trigeminal thresholds. The strips were placed on the anterior tongue for 10 s. Subjects were asked to report the onset of any sensory perception, quality and duration of sensory perception. Thresholds were estimated in two ways: (1) threshold (THR1) related to sensory perception and (2) intensity related threshold (THR2). The test was applied to 63 healthy subjects (mean age 40 years; 34 women, 29 men). For whole-mouth testing with capsaicin, a small but significant correlation was found between THR1 and THR2 (r 63 = 0.41). Coefficients of correlation between test and re-test were r 30 = 0.60 for THR1 and r 30 = 0.78 THR2. Neither THR1 nor THR2 indicated either side or sex-related differences. Age-related differences were only found in THR2 scores, which were lower in young subjects (<40 years). Reliable assessment of intraoral trigeminal sensitivity appears to be possible using the presently described technique.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aviv JE, Hecht C, Weinberg H, Dalton JF, Urken ML (1992) Surface sensibility of the floor of the mouth and tongue in healthy controls and in radiated patients. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 107:418–423
Caterina MJ, Schumacher MA, Tominaga M, Rosen TA, Levine JD, Julius D (1997) The capsaicin receptor: a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway. Nature 389:816–824
Frasnelli J, Hummel T (2003) Age-related decline of intranasal trigeminal sensitivity: is it a peripheral event? Brain Res 987:201–206
Fukunaga A, Uematsu H, Sugimoto K (2005) Influences of aging on taste perception and oral somatic sensation. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 60:109–113
Green BG (1985) Sensory interaction between capsaicin and temperature in the oral cavity. Chem Senses 11:371–386
Green BG, Schullery MT (2003) Stimulation of bitterness by capsaicin and menthol: differences between lingual areas innervated by the glossopharyngeal and chorda tympani nerves. Chem Senses 28:45–55
Just T, Pau HW, Witt M, Hummel T (2006) Contact endoscopic comparison of morphology of human fungiform papillae of healthy subjects and patients with transected chorda tympani nerve. Laryngoscope 116:1216–1222
Liu L, Simon SA (1996) Similarities and differences in the currents activated by capsaicin, piperine, and zingerone in rat trigeminal ganglion cells. J Neurophysiol 76:1858–1869
Liu L, Simon SA (2001) Acidic stimuli activates two distinct pathways in taste receptor cells from rat fungiform papillae. Brain Res 923:58–70
Miller SL, Mirza N, Doty RL (2002) Electrogustometric thresholds: relationship to anterior tongue locus, area of stimulation, and number of fungiform papillae. Physiol Behav 75:753–757
Mueller C, Kallert S, Renner B, Stiassny K, Temmel AF, Hummel T, Kobal G (2003) Quantitative assessment of gustatory function in a clinical context using impregnated “taste strips”. Rhinology 41:2–6
Murphy C, Quinonez C, Nordin S (1995) Reliability and validity of electrogustometry and its application to young and elderly persons. Chem Senses 20:499–503
Nomura T, Ogawa H (1985) The taste and mechanical response properties of neurons in the parvicellular part of the thalamic posteromedial ventral nucleus of the rat. Neurosci Res 3:91–105
Ogawa H, Imoto T, Hayama T (1984) Responsiveness of solitario-parabrachial relay neurons to taste and mechanical stimulation applied to the oral cavity in rats. Exp Brain Res 54:349–358
Perez R, Fuoco G, Dorion JM, Ho PH, Chen JM (2006) Does the chorda tympani nerve confer general sensation from the tongue? Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 135:368–373
Renton T, Thexton A, Hankins M, McGurk M (2003) Quantitative thermosensory testing of the lingual and inferior alveolar nerves in health and after iatrogenic injury. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 41:36–42
Santamaria E, Wei FC, Chen IH, Chuang DC (1999) Sensation recovery on innervated radial forearm flap for hemiglossectomy reconstruction by using different recipient nerves. Plast Reconstr Surg 103:450–457
Schiffman SS, Zervakis J (2002) Taste and smell perception in the elderly: effect of medications and disease. Adv Food Nutr Res 44:247–346
Simons CT, O’Mahony M, Carstens E (2002) Taste suppression following lingual capsaicin pre-treatment in humans. Chem Senses 27:353–365
Sostman AL, Simon SA (1991) Trigeminal nerve responses in the rat elicited by chemical stimulation of the tongue. Arch Oral Biol 36:95–102
Stillman JA, Morton RP, Hay KD, Ahmad Z, Goldsmith D (2003) Electrogustometry: strengths, weaknesses, and clinical evidence of stimulus boundaries. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci 28:406–410
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Portions of the results were presented at the 28th meeting of Association for Chemosensory Sciences in Sarasota, Fl, April 2006.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Just, T., Pau, H.W., Steiner, S. et al. Assessment of oral trigeminal sensitivity in humans. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 264, 545–551 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-006-0218-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-006-0218-4