Humans perceive certain concentrations of alcohol (ethanol) as sweet.[157] In rodents, perception of the sweet taste component of ethanol was shown in behavioural and neurophysiological experiments (reviewed by Bachmanov et al.[158]). In behavioural studies, conditioned taste aversion generalized between ethanol and sucrose.[159-162] Electrophysiological recordings indicate that lingual application of ethanol activates sweetener-responsive neural fibres in the gustatory nerves[163,164] and sweetener-responsive units in the nucleus of the tractus solitarius;[165,166] this activity is blocked by application of gurmarin, a peripheral antagonist of sweet taste.[166]
