Wednesday, July 2, 2025 7/2/2025

The fungiform papilla as a multi-sensory end-organ

Award Number: R01DC019634
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

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The fungiform papilla as a multi-sensory end-organ - Project Summary/Abstract Our perception of food in the mouth is a multi-modal sensory experience involving taste, olfaction, and somatosensation. All of these stimuli combine to contribute to the recognition and palatability of food. The first step leading to the perception of ‘mouth feel” in the oral cavity is activation of peripheral somatosensory neurons. Multiple classes of these trigeminal somatosensory neurons innervate the oral cavity and can be defined by the types of stimuli to which they respond. For example, low threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs) carry information concerning touch or mechanical stimuli. In skin, at least 7 clear subtypes of these neurons have been defined by using gene expression to relate the anatomical features of these neurons with their functions. We do not know how many specialized neuron subtypes mediate touch sensation in the tongue or their specialized anatomical and functional properties. Understanding the sensations evoked by a food stimulus requires us to determine the unique anatomical and functional properties of each LTMR subtype in the tongue. Equally important is how each LTMR’s activities are integrated with other oral sensory neuron types (i.e. taste and temperature). Toward these long-term goals we propose to use two genetic identifiers to examine trigeminal neuron subtypes innervating the fungiform (taste) papillae. Our Aims specifically test the following hypotheses: 1) Taste papillae are innervated by a Aβ LTMRs with a small receptive fields that express the neurotrophin receptor, TrkC, and that they neurons can further be divided into rapidly adapting and slowly-adapting types based on the presence or absence of Parvalbumin. 2) These Aβ LTMRs project to the to a region of the brainstem immediately adjacent to the primary taste terminal field where they activate postsynaptic neurons that are responsive to touch. 3) These Aβ LTMRs are capable of modulating responses to taste stimuli at the first gustatory synaptic relay. Successful completion of these experiments establishes the fungiform papilla as a mechanosensory end organ and provides the genetic tools to explore the contribution of a specific subtype of LTMR in the integration of sensations produced by the multi-modal food stimulus.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $402,631 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	4	6/26/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$402,631
														Subtotal = $402,631

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $390,826 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	6/25/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$390,826
														Subtotal = $390,826

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $462,756 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	2	6/17/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$63,287
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	6/16/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$399,469
														Subtotal = $462,756

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $462,468 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	6/28/2022	NEW	$462,468
														Subtotal = $462,468

Grand Total All Awards = $1,718,681

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The fungiform papilla as a multi-sensory end-organ

Award Number: R01DC019634

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

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