Insights Into Retronasal Sensation of Sweeteners Within Aerosol Particles Via Scalp Electroencephalogram

ABSTRACT This study investigated how the retro‐nasal sensation of sweeteners is centrally processed by examining brain activities using electroencephalography (EEG) technique. Interactions effects were found between the event‐related potentials (ERP) and nasal conditions (nose‐plug‐on or ‐off) at the electrode sites of C3, C4, CP3, and FC4. Retro‐nasal sensation seems to increase P1 amplitudes of rebaudioside A and P1 latencies of pure water at the C1–C3–C5–CP3–FC3 clusters, and shorten the P3 latencies of sucrose and rebaudioside A at the C2–C4–C6–CP4–FC4 clusters. Furthermore, the stimuli's ERP components only differed when retro‐nasal sensation was allowed (nose‐plug‐off). Combing the above evidence, we intend to conclude that rebaudioside A and sucrose in the form of aerosol particles can be retro‐nasally sensed and these sensations facilitate their recognition or evaluation (implied by their lower P3 latencies in the presence of retro‐nasal sensation), and shape their differences at the early cognitive process (implied by their differed P1 amplitudes).