Sensory functioning in older adults: relevance for food preference

- Nutrition surveys suggest increased consumption of sugar and salt in older adults.
- Brain imaging is revealing differences in how the older brain processes chemosensory stimuli and makes decisions about intake.
- Making smart use of brain imaging data will be of great importance in moving the field forward in the near future.
- Emerging cohorts may well be more sensitive to subtle odors and flavors than older generations.

The world's population is aging and older adults represent the fastest growing segment of the consumer market. Changes in sensory, perceptual and cognitive function in this segment of the population have been described psychophysically, however, more is known about the young-old than the old-old or oldest-old. Only now are we exploring the potential for neuroimaging tools to probe the changes in central nervous system function related to taste and smell that are relevant to sensory perception, reward value, anticipation of and consumption of food stimuli. There is real potential for brain imaging to provide a greater understanding of older adults' consumer behavior.