TY - JOUR
T1 - Mouth rinsing and ingesting salty or bitter solutions does not influence corticomotor excitability or neuromuscular function
AU - Gray, Edward
AU - Cavaleri, Rocco
AU - Siegler, Jason
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the participants for their efforts.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - Purpose: To explore the effect of tasting unpleasant salty or bitter solutions on lower limb corticomotor excitability and neuromuscular function. Methods: Nine females and eleven males participated (age: 27 ± 7 years, BMI: 25.3 ± 4.0 kg m−2). Unpleasant salty (1 M) and bitter (2 mM quinine) solutions were compared to water, sweetened water, and no solution, which functioned as control conditions. In a non-blinded randomized cross-over order, each solution was mouth rinsed (10 s) and ingested before perceptual responses, instantaneous heart rate (a marker of autonomic nervous system activation), quadricep corticomotor excitability (motor-evoked potential amplitude) and neuromuscular function during a maximal voluntary contraction (maximum voluntary force, resting twitch force, voluntary activation, 0–50 ms impulse, 0–100 impulse, 100–200 ms impulse) were measured. Results: Hedonic value (water: 47 ± 8%, sweet: 23 ± 17%, salt: 71 ± 8%, bitter: 80 ± 10%), taste intensity, unpleasantness and increases in heart rate (no solution: 14 ± 5 bpm, water: 18 ± 5 bpm, sweet: 20 ± 5 bpm, salt: 24 ± 7 bpm, bitter: 23 ± 6 bpm) were significantly higher in the salty and bitter conditions compared to control conditions. Nausea was low in all conditions (< 15%) but was significantly higher in salty and bitter conditions compared to water (water: 3 ± 5%, sweet: 6 ± 13%, salt: 7 ± 9%, bitter: 14 ± 16%). There was no significant difference between conditions in neuromuscular function or corticomotor excitability variables. Conclusion: At rest, unpleasant tastes appear to have no influence on quadricep corticomotor excitability or neuromuscular function. These data question the mechanisms via which unpleasant tastes are proposed to influence exercise performance.
AB - Purpose: To explore the effect of tasting unpleasant salty or bitter solutions on lower limb corticomotor excitability and neuromuscular function. Methods: Nine females and eleven males participated (age: 27 ± 7 years, BMI: 25.3 ± 4.0 kg m−2). Unpleasant salty (1 M) and bitter (2 mM quinine) solutions were compared to water, sweetened water, and no solution, which functioned as control conditions. In a non-blinded randomized cross-over order, each solution was mouth rinsed (10 s) and ingested before perceptual responses, instantaneous heart rate (a marker of autonomic nervous system activation), quadricep corticomotor excitability (motor-evoked potential amplitude) and neuromuscular function during a maximal voluntary contraction (maximum voluntary force, resting twitch force, voluntary activation, 0–50 ms impulse, 0–100 impulse, 100–200 ms impulse) were measured. Results: Hedonic value (water: 47 ± 8%, sweet: 23 ± 17%, salt: 71 ± 8%, bitter: 80 ± 10%), taste intensity, unpleasantness and increases in heart rate (no solution: 14 ± 5 bpm, water: 18 ± 5 bpm, sweet: 20 ± 5 bpm, salt: 24 ± 7 bpm, bitter: 23 ± 6 bpm) were significantly higher in the salty and bitter conditions compared to control conditions. Nausea was low in all conditions (< 15%) but was significantly higher in salty and bitter conditions compared to water (water: 3 ± 5%, sweet: 6 ± 13%, salt: 7 ± 9%, bitter: 14 ± 16%). There was no significant difference between conditions in neuromuscular function or corticomotor excitability variables. Conclusion: At rest, unpleasant tastes appear to have no influence on quadricep corticomotor excitability or neuromuscular function. These data question the mechanisms via which unpleasant tastes are proposed to influence exercise performance.
KW - Ergogenic aid
KW - Exercise
KW - Quinine
KW - Taste
KW - Unpleasant
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146889841&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85146889841&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00421-023-05141-3
DO - 10.1007/s00421-023-05141-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 36700971
AN - SCOPUS:85146889841
SN - 1439-6319
VL - 123
SP - 1179
EP - 1189
JO - European Journal of Applied Physiology
JF - European Journal of Applied Physiology
IS - 6
ER -