Faculty

Yanina Pepino, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor in Medicine

Research Interests

Dr. Pepino’s research interest centers in understanding individual differences in taste perception, food pleasure and reward pathways in lean versus obese individuals as well as in individuals suffering from substance addictions (e.g. nicotine or alcohol).
Her interest in these two traits has an origin in previous research suggesting that food and drug reward share neurobiological bases and that certain types of obesity can be understood as resulting from addictive mechanism similar to other drugs of abuse.
Her current research studies focus on the following areas 1) human fat taste perception 2) the effect of bariatric surgery-induced weight loss on taste perception and eating behavior; and 3) the effect of non caloric sweeteners on taste preference and glucose homeostasis.

Contact Information

Washington University School of Medicine
Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science
660 S.Euclid Avenue - Campus Box 8031
St.Louis, MO 63110
Tel. 314-362-8113
E-mail: ypepino@dom.wustl.edu

Publications

Recent Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals

1. Pepino MY, Mennella JA. Advice Given to Women Living in Argentina about Breastfeeding, Alcohol Consumption and Feeding Practices. Pan American Journal of Public Health 2004: 16:408-414.

2. Mennella JA, Pepino MY, Teff KL. Acute alcohol consumption disrupts the hormonal milieu of lactating women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005: 90:1979-1985.

3. Mennella JA, Pepino MY, Reed DR. Genetic and environmental determinants of bitter perception and sweet preference. Pediatrics 2005: 115(2):e216-222.

4. Pepino M. Y., Mennella J.A. Factors contributing to individual differences in sucrose preference. Chemical Senses 30: i319-i320, 2005

5. Pepino MY, Mennella JA. Sucrose-Induced Analgesia is related to Sweet Preferences in Children but not Adults. Pain 2005: 119:210-218.

6. Mennella JA, Pepino MY. Short-term effects of alcohol consumption on the hormonal milieu and mood status in nulliparous women. Alcohol 2006: 38:29-36.

7. Pepino MY, Steinmeyer AL, Mennella JA. Reproductive state modifies alcohol pharmacokinetics in women. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 2007: 31:909-918.

8. Pepino MY, Mennella JA. Effects of cigarette smoking and family history of alcoholism on sweet taste perception and food cravings in women. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 2007:31:1891-189.

9. Pepino MY, Mennella JA. Effects of Breast Pumping on the Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Ethanol During Lactation. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2008: 84: 710-714.

10. Mennella JA, Pepino MY. Biphasic Effects of Moderate Drinking on Prolactin During Lactation. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 2008: 32:1899-1908.

11. Pepino MY, Finkbeiner S, Mennella JA. Similarities in food cravings and mood states between obese women and women who smoke tobacco. Obesity 2009: 17:1158-1163.

12. Mennella JA, Pepino M Y. Breast pumping and lactational state exert differential effects on ethanol pharmacokinetics. Alcohol 2010: 44:141-148.

13. Pepino MY, Finkbeiner S, Beauchamp GK, Mennella JA. Obese women have lower monosodium glutamate taste sensitivity and prefer higher concentrations than do normal-weight women. Obesity 2010: 18:959-965.

14. Mennella JA, Pepino MY, Lehman S, Yourshawn L. Sweet preferences and analgesia during childhood: Effects of family history of alcoholism and depression. Addiction 2010, 105:666-675

15. Mennella JA, Pepino MY. Breastfeeding and Prolactin Levels in Lactating Women with a Family History of Alcoholism. Pediatrics 2010:125:e1162-1170.

16. Mennella JA, Pepino MY, Duke FF, Reed DR. Age modifies the genotype-phenotype relationship for the bitter receptor TAS2R38. BMC Genet. 2010:11:60.

17. Spielman,AI , Pepino, MY, Fieldman, R, Brand, JH. Technique to Collect Living Taste Cells from the Human Tongue. Journal of Visualized Experiments 2010: 42. http://www.jove.com/index/details.stp?id=2201, doi: 10.3791/2201

18. Mennella JA, Pepino MY, Duke FF, Reed DR. Psychophysical dissection of genotype effects on human bitter perception. Chemical Senses, in press.

Department of Medicine
Division of Geriatrics & Nutritional Sciences

Yanina Pepino, Ph.D.