| Summary: | A logical extrapolation from the principle that structure dictates function is that transient or anomalous experiences are consequences of simultaneous stimulations of proximal brain regions not typically co-activated. In this paper, the occasional shifts in gustatory threshold during the menstrual cycle, the craving for unusual tastes experienced by some during pregnancies, and, the reports by postmenopausal women of the “burning mouth syndrome” are hypothesized to be artifacts of the proximity of gustatory and uterine representations within the female insula. Transient (menstrual) or tonic (pregnancy) stimulation within the uterus might shift the locus of neural activity within the insula to include adjacent gustatory neurons and consequently alter taste experiences. Specific tests of this hypothesis are suggested. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, 2001.
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