Early-life influences of low-calorie sweetener consumption on sugar taste

Children and adolescents are the highest consumers of added sugars, particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). Regular consumption of SSB early in life induces a variety of negative consequences on health that can last into adulthood. Low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) are increasingly used as an alternative to added sugars because they provide a sweet sensation without adding calories to the diet. However, the long-term effects of early-life consumption of LCS are not well understood. Considering LCS engage at least one of the same taste receptors as sugars and potentially modulate cellular mechanisms of glucose transport and metabolism, it is especially important to understand how early-life LCS consumption impacts intake of and regulatory responses to caloric sugars. In our recent study, we found that habitual intake of LCS during the juvenile-adolescence period significantly changed how rats responded to sugar later in life. Here, we review evidence that LCS and sugars are sensed via common and distinct gustatory pathways, and then discuss the implications this has for shaping sugar-associated appetitive, consummatory, and physiological responses. Ultimately, the review highlights the diverse gaps in knowledge that will be necessary to fill to understand the consequences of regular LCS consumption during important phases of development.

Neurosensory development of the four brainstem-projecting sensory systems and their integration in the telencephalon

Somatosensory, taste, vestibular, and auditory information is first processed in the brainstem. From the brainstem, the respective information is relayed to specific regions within the cortex, where these inputs are further processed and integrated with other sensory systems to provide a comprehensive sensory experience. We provide the organization, genetics, and various neuronal connections of four sensory systems: trigeminal, taste, vestibular, and auditory systems. The development of trigeminal fibers is comparable to many sensory systems, for they project mostly contralaterally from the brainstem or spinal cord to the telencephalon. Taste bud information is primarily projected ipsilaterally through the thalamus to reach the insula. The vestibular fibers develop bilateral connections that eventually reach multiple areas of the cortex to provide a complex map. The auditory fibers project in a tonotopic contour to the auditory cortex. The spatial and tonotopic organization of trigeminal and auditory neuron projections are distinct from the taste and vestibular systems. The individual sensory projections within the cortex provide multi-sensory integration in the telencephalon that depends on context-dependent tertiary connections to integrate other cortical sensory systems across the four modalities.

Pre- and postnatal differences in membrane, action potential, and ion channel properties of rostral nucleus of the solitary tract neurons

There is little known about the prenatal development of the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNST) neurons in rodents or the factors that influence circuit formation. With morphological and electrophysiological techniques in vitro, we investigated differences in the biophysical properties of rNST neurons in pre- and postnatal rats from embryonic day 14 (E14) through postnatal day 20. Developmental changes in passive membrane and action potential (AP) properties and the emergence and maturation of ion channels important in neuron function were characterized. Morphological maturation of rNST neurons parallels changes in passive membrane properties. Mean soma size, dendritic branch points, neurite endings, and neurite length all increase prenatally. whereas neuron resting membrane potential, input resistance, and time constant decrease. Dendritic spines, on the other hand, develop after birth. AP discharge patterns alter in pre- and postnatal stages. At E14, neurons generated a single TTX-sensitive, voltage-gated Na(+) AP when depolarized; a higher discharge rate appeared at older stages. AP amplitude, half-width, and rise and fall times all change during development. Responses to current injection revealed a number of voltage-gated conductances in embryonic rNST, including a hyperpolarization-activated inward current and a low-threshold Ca(2+) current that initiated Ca(2+) spikes. A hyperpolarization-activated, transient outward potassium current was also present in the developing neurons. Although the properties of these channels change during development, they are present before synapses form and therefore, can contribute to initial establishment of neural circuits, as well as to the changing electrophysiological properties in developing rNST neurons.