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Here comes a taste test with a surprising outcome. A study involving 1600 people found the volume of a particular brain region is reversely linked to how bitter people find tonic water.

Before anyone thought to mix it with gin, tonic water was developed as a treatment for malaria. It contains a medicinal substance called quinine, which gives tonic water its bitterness. Previous studies have found that individuals depending on their genes.

Daniel Hwang at the University of Queensland in Australia and his colleagues wondered if brain size also plays a role. They collected brain scans of 1600 volunteers, who were also asked to rate the bitterness of a quinine solution.

The team found that the size of a brain region 鈥� the left entorhinal cortex in the temporal lobe 鈥� is associated with how intensely someone perceives bitterness. Those who found the drink less bitter tended to have a bigger left entorhinal cortex.

The entorhinal cortex has previously been linked to our sense of smell, but it is unclear how its volume is associated with taste perception. 鈥淭here are various possibilities 鈥� a smaller volume may result in a shorter time for the taste signal to transfer across the brain,鈥� says Hwang.

It is still unclear whether the volume of certain brain regions affects our perception of other food and drinks. 鈥淭his is the first study relating volumetric differences and taste, and our findings warrant future research on not only bitter, but also sweet and even salty, sour and umami taste responses,鈥� says Hwang.

Those who find tonic water to be extremely bitter shouldn鈥檛 assume that they have a smaller left entorhinal cortex, though. Hwang says genetics probably also plays a role in determining our taste sensation.