Adaptation to capsaicin burn: effects of concentration and individual differences

Human subjects rated the time course of the burn produced by three concentr ations of capsaicin applied to the tongue via filter papers. Data were fit to a dynamic model composed of a level detector, a change detector, and a d ouble integrator. These three processes responded differently to concentrat ion. 6-n-Propyl-2-thiouracil (PROP) taster status correlated positively wit h the integrator process. Although a minority of subjects showed evidence o f the integrator process, any subject with an integrator process at a given concentration also showed it at any higher concentration. (C) 2001 Elsevie r Science Inc. All rights reserved.