Ann-Marie Torregrossa

PhD

Ann-Marie Torregrossa.

Ann-Marie Torregrossa

PhD

Ann-Marie Torregrossa

PhD

Research Interests

Taste; feeding; food choice

Education

  • PhD, University of Utah 

Current Research

Diet selection is an undeniably important part of maintaining health, but due to the complexity of the physiological and environmental factors that contribute to food choice, it is still poorly understood. Foods considered rewarding are often over-consumed, while others, such as bitter foods, are avoided. We have been exploring how orosensory and gut feedback contribute to food acceptance and intake, most recently in reference to salivary proteins and bitter foods. Under normal feeding and drinking conditions, taste compounds must mix with saliva before reaching their receptor targets, setting the stage for potential modulation of the taste signal at its most fundamental level. Our lab is interested in how changes in salivary proteins may alter diet acceptability especially for bitter diets. A large number of nutritionally significant food sources contain bitter phytochemicals, thus understanding bitter taste perception can lead to strategies for influencing food selection. 

Selected Publications

  • Martin, L.M., Kay, K., Torregrossa A-M., Bitter-induced salivary proteins increase threshold detection of quinine but not sucrose.  (in press, Chemical Senses: https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjz021)
  • Martin, L.M., Kay, K., Torregrossa A-M., (2019) Altering salivary protein profile can increase acceptance of a novel bitter diet. Appetite, 10(136):8-17
  • Banik, D.D., Martin, L.E., Freichel, M., Torregrossa A-M., Medler, K.F. (2018) TRPM4 and TRPM5 are both required for normal signaling in taste receptor cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(4):E772-E781
  • Martin, L.E., Nikonova, L.V., Kay, K., Paedae, A.B., Contreras, R.J., Torregrossa, A-M. (2018) Salivary proteins alter taste perception and taste nerve signaling. Physiology and Behavior, 184 (1):150-161 *associated image was selected for the journal’s cover art
  • Torregrossa, A-M., Loney, G.C., Smith, J.C., Eckel, L.A. (2015) Examination of the perception of sweet- and bitter-like taste qualities in sucralose preferring and avoiding rats.  Physiology and Behavior, 140:96-103
  • Torregrossa, A-M., Nikonova, L., Bales, M.B., Villalobos Leal, M., Smith, J.C., Contreras, R.J., Eckel, L.A. (2014) Induction of salivary proteins modifies measures of both orosensory and postingestive feedback during exposure to a tannic acid diet.  Plos One, 9(8): e105232.
  • Skopec, M.M, Hale, A., Torregrossa A-M., Dearing, M.D. (2013) Biotransformation enzyme expression in the nasal epithelium of woodrats.  Journal of Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 157(1):72-79
  • Loney, G.C., Torregrossa, A-M., Carballo, C., Eckel, L.A. (2012) Preference for sucralose predicts behavioral responses to sweet and bitter tastants.  Chemical Senses, 37(5): 445-453
  • Torregrossa, A-M., Bales, M.B., Breza, J.M., Houpt, T.A., Smith J.C., Contreras, R.J. (2012) Water restriction and fluid temperature alter preference for water and sucrose solutions.  Chemical Senses, 37(3):279-292
  • Torregrossa, A-M., Azzara, A.V., Dearing, M.D. (2012) Testing the diet-breadth trade-off hypothesis: differential regulation of novel plant secondary compounds by a specialist and generalist herbivore. Oecologia, 168:711-718
  • Loney, G.C., Torregrossa, A-M., Smith, J.C., Sclafani A., Eckel, L.A. (2011) Rats display a robust bimodal preference profile for sucralose. Chemical Senses 36(8):733-745
  • Torregrossa, A-M., Azzara, A.V., Dearing, M.D. (2011) Differential regulation of plant secondary compounds by herbivorous rodents (genus Neotoma). Functional Ecology 25(6):1230-1240
  • Santollo, J., Torregrossa, A-M., Eckel, L.A. (2011) Estradiol acts in the medial preoptic area, arcuate nucleus and dorsal raphe nucleus to reduce food intake in ovariectomized rats. Hormones and Behavior 60(1):86-93
  • Williams, D.L., Hyvarinen, N., Lilly, N., Kay, K., Dossat, A., Parise, E., Torregrossa, A-M. (2011) Maintenance on a high-fat diet impairs the anorexic response to glucagon-like-peptide-1 receptor activation.  Physiology and Behavior 103:557-564
  • Torregrossa, A-M., Dearing, M.D. (2009) Nutritional toxicology of mammals: Regulated intake of plant secondary compounds. Functional Ecology 23:48-56