Possible relationship between phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity and epilepsy
Pal, S.K.; Sharma, K.; Pathak, A.; Sawhney, I.M.S.; Prabhakar, S.
Neurology India 52(2): 206-209
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-3886 PMID: 15269472 Document Number: 570075
The study was based on the data of a sample of 400 epileptic patients (200 idiopathic and 200 symptomatic) and 100 normal healthy individuals serving as controls. The PTC threshold distribution was bimodal. The number of non-tasters among idiopathic epileptics (35.5%) and symptomatic epileptics (32.5%) was significantly higher than controls (20%). The relative incidence of non-tasters in idiopathic and symptomatic epilepsies was 2.20 and 1.93 respectively. There is evidence that non-tasters tend to ingest a greater quantity of bitter tasting goitrogenic substances present naturally in edible plants which in turn exert greater thyroid stress in non-tasters or less sensitive tasters. Such a stress during intrauterine or early childhood growth and development might have affected neurological maturation which in turn made them more susceptible to epilepsy than tasters, who faced lesser stress.