Possible role of brain angiotensin II in emotion as suggested by salt palatability

Abstract

This review highlights the importance of the renin-angiotensin system for the orofacial expression of an emotion produced by the salty taste, as measured by salt palatability during the consummatory phase of sodium appetite. Salt palatability is defined as a function of orofacial somatic motor responses to intraoral infusion of hypertonic NaCl. In this context, recent findings with normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rat strains suggest that brain angiotensin II may contribute to the positive palatability of salt as a response to sodium depletion. We will also see that these findings have potential unpredicted consequences for the current understanding of multimodal control of emotional expression of sodium appetite during salt intake and its satiety.