Inaugural Neurogastronomy Symposium to be Held at UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 4, 2015) -- The inaugural International Society of Neurogastronomy symposium will be held at the University of Kentucky on Nov. 7, 2015.  Featuring speakers like Emmy-winning chef Sean Brock and the father of neurogastronomy, Dr. Gordon Shepherd, the symposium will explore the concept of brain and behavior in the context of food.

The term Neurogastonomy was coined by Dr. Gordon Shepherd, professor of neurobiology at Yale University, in 2006 in an article in Nature and six years later in an eponymous book. While Shepherd has been interested in the concept from a research perspective, UK neuropsychologist Dan Han and a group of neuroscientists, chefs and food scientists are enthusiastic about making it a clinical translational science, with applications in cancer, stroke, and brain injury (which can destroy the sense of taste) and disease like diabetes and heart disease.

The day's format differs from the typical symposium, featuring brief presentations modeled after the popular TED talks and punctuated with breaks for tastings and an iron chef-like contest where the food from regional and national chefs will be judged by patients with taste impairments.

Symposium registration opens Aug. 7.  For more information about the symposium and how to register, click here.