A Taste for the Unexpected: How Brain Injuries Can Change Your Palate

By Jason Burton, MD
VCU Health System
Richmond

In the Summer 2025 PSV newsletter, I wrote about one of my favorite syndromes, Charles Bonnet syndrome, specifically its auditory variant, and hinted at another fascinating condition: Gourmand syndrome.

We like to think that our unique quirks and tastes are completely within our control, but that may not be the case. Our experiences often shape our preferences in ways we don’t fully appreciate. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that we have sensitive periods in our lives where we are more open to novelty. For instance, there’s a strong chance you won’t develop a love for sushi if you don’t try it before age 39. Similarly, you’re less likely to adopt a new style of music after 35, or get a body piercing after 23.¹

These windows of opportunity shape our taste in music, fashion, and food. While they may close at certain ages, there is some research on how they might be reopened. Take the ability to learn perfect pitch. This is typically developed in childhood and closes at an early age, but some studies suggest that the medication valproic acid can reopen this learning window in adults.² The ability to develop perfect pitch might be a side effect of valproic acid. It’s an intriguing finding, though certainly not a reason to prescribe it for aspiring singers.

Another rare syndrome that shows how our tastes, even parts of our personalities, can change is Gourmand syndrome. This is an eating disorder that appears several months after a brain injury, usually to the right frontal lobe or right temporal lobe. Following the injury, people develop a sudden and intense passion for fine food.³ They become obsessed with and perseverate on gourmet dining, displaying behaviors that share features with both OCD and addiction. This syndrome is incredibly rare, with only a few dozen cases reported in the last 30 years. The first documented case was that of a political journalist who, after a stroke, quit his job and became a food critic. In another case, a patient with right temporal seizures developed signs of Gourmand syndrome.⁴

While this condition is rare, it serves as a powerful reminder that the processes underlying our habits, fashion choices, and personal tastes are far more complex than we realize, and not always fully under our control.

References

1. Sapolsky,Robert. “Open Season.” The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 1998.
2. Gervain J, Vines BW, Chen LM, Seo RJ, Hensch TK, Werker JF, Young AH. Valproate reopens critical-period learning of absolute pitch. Front Syst Neurosci. 2013 Dec 3;7:102. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2013.00102. PMID: 24348349; PMCID: PMC3848041.
3. Regard M, Landis T. “Gourmand syndrome”: eating passion associated with right anterior lesions. Neurology. 1997 May;48(5):1185-90. doi: 10.1212/wnl.48.5.1185. PMID: 9153440.
4. Kurian M, Schmitt-Mechelke T, Korff C, Delavelle J, Landis T, Seeck M. “Gourmand syndrome” in a child with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav. 2008 Aug;13(2):413-5. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2008.04.004. Epub 2008 May 23. PMID: 18502182.