Emerging Role of Sensory Perception in Aging and Metabolism

Sensory perception comprises gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell) modalities as well as somatosensory (pain, heat, and tactile mechanosensory) inputs, which are detected by a multitude of sensory receptors. These sensory receptors are contained in specialized ciliated neurons where they detect changes in environmental conditions and participate in behavioral decisions ranging from food choice to avoiding harmful conditions, thus insuring basic survival in metazoans. Recent genetic studies, however, indicate that sensory perception plays additional physiological functions, notably influencing energy homeostatic processes and longevity through neuronal circuits originating from sensory tissues. Here we review how these findings are redefining metabolic signaling and establish a prominent role of sensory neuroendocrine processes in controlling health span and lifespan, with a goal of translating this knowledge towards managing age-associated diseases.

TrendsThe fine-tuning of smell (olfactory) and taste (gustatory) sensitivities is tightly regulated by endocrine signals involved in energy balance, due to the presence of many endocrine receptors on these neurons.Not much is known about the effect of upstream sensory inputs in the hypothalamus on regulatory mechanisms governing whole-body energy homeostasis. In addition to the obvious role of olfaction and taste in influencing behavioral decisions about food choice, recent studies suggest that olfactory stimuli may contribute to the regulation of energy homeostasis.Neuroendocrine processes, engaged by sensory afferent neurons expressing transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), are tightly involved in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis and play a role in regulating longevity.