• PhD, University of Utah
  

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.

• Ascencio Gutierrez, V., Martin, L.E., James, K.F., Medler, K.F. Schier, L.A., Torregrossa A-M. (2024) TRPM4 and PLCβ3 contribute to normal behavioral responses to an array of sweeteners and carbohydrates but PLCβ3 is not needed for normal glucose responding, Chemical Senses Volume 49: bjae001
• Ascencio Gutierrez, V., Martin, L.E., Torregrossa A-M. (2024) Salivary proteins rescue within-session suppression and conditioned avoidance in response to an intragastric quinine infusion. Physiology and Behavior 274(1): 114430
• Martin, L.E., Ascencio Gutierrez, V., Torregrossa A-M. (2023) The role of saliva in taste and food intake. Physiology and Behavior, 262: 114109
  
• Ahart, Z.C., Martin, L.E., Kemp, B.R., Banik, D.D., Roberts, S.G.E., Torregrossa, A-M., Medler, K.F. (2020) Differential effects of diet and weight on taste responses in diet-induced obese mice. Obesity, 28(2): 284-292
• Banik, D.D., Benfey, E.D., Martin, L.M., Kay, K.E., Loney, G.C., Nelson, A.R., Ahart, Z.C., Kemp, B.T., Kemp, B.R., Vandenbeuch, A., Torregrossa A-M., Medler, K.F. (2020) A subset of broadly responsive Type III taste cells contribute to the detection of bitter, sweet and umami stimuli.  PLOS Genetics, 16(8):e1008925
• Kay, K.E., Martin, L.E., James, K.E., Haygood, S.M., Torregrossa A-M.  (2020) Temperature is sufficient to create a flavor preference for a cold-paired solution in rats. Chemical Senses, 45 (7): 563-572
• Martin, L.E., James, K.E., Kay, K.E., Torregrossa A-M.  (2020) Altering salivary protein profile can decrease aversive oromotor responding to quinine in rats. Physiology and Behavior, 223: 113005-1
• 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
• Martin, L.M., Kay, K., Torregrossa A-M., (2019) Bitter-induced salivary proteins increase threshold detection of quinine but not sucrose Chemical Senses, 44(6): 379-388
• Martin, L.E., Kay, K.E., Torregrossa A-M.  (2019) Rats are unable to discriminate quinine from diverse bitter stimuli. American Journal of Physiology- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 317(6): R793-802
• 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-guided behaviors and taste nerve signaling in rat. Physiology and Behavior, 184(1): 150-161 *associated image was selected for the journal’s cover art
• 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.