Linda May Bartoshuk (born 1938) is an American psychologist. She is a Presidential Endowed Professor of Community Dentistry and

Behavioral Science Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through naturalistic o ...

at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. She is an internationally known researcher specializing in the chemical senses of

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

and smell, having discovered that some people are supertasters.

Biography

Bartoshuk grew up in

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen ( Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre. The city population was 28,495 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populous ci ...

. She received her B.A. from Carleton College and her PhD from Brown University. Her research explores the genetic variations in taste perception and how taste perception affects overall health. Bartoshuk was the first to discover that

burning mouth syndrome Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a burning, tingling or scalding sensation in the mouth, lasting for at least four to six months, with no underlying known dental or medical cause. No related signs of disease are found in the mouth. People with ...

, a condition predominantly experienced by postmenopausal women, is caused by damage to the

taste buds Taste buds contain the taste receptor cells, which are also known as gustatory cells. The taste receptors are located around the small structures known as papillae found on the upper surface of the tongue, soft palate, upper esophagus, the che ...

at the front of the

tongue The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste ...

and is not a psychosomatic condition. She was employed at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

prior to accepting a position at the

in 2005. Bartoshuk's work at Yale was funded through a series of NIH grants. She was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1995. In 2003, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Selected works

* *Bartoshuk, Linda M, Dreyer, E., Klee, H.J., Odabasi, A.Z., Sims, C.A., Snyder, D.J., & Tieman, D.M. (2014). Mutant tomato varieties and the study of volatile-enhanced-sweetness. Paper presented at the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, 2014. *Bartoshuk, L.M., Marino, S., Snyder, D.J., & Stamps, J. (2013, in press). Head trauma, taste damage and weight gain. Chemical Senses.

References

External links

National Academy of Sciences audio interviewCoverage of Bartoshuk's research
American women psychologists 21st-century American psychologists Brown University alumni Carleton College alumni Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences People from Aberdeen, South Dakota University of Florida faculty Yale University faculty 1938 births Living people American women academics 21st-century American women 20th-century American psychologists {{US-psychologist-stub