Abstract 

Mutations in the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor have been linked to various neurodegenerative diseases serving as a potential biomarker for schizophrenia and the development of late onset Alzheimer’s disease. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterized by psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorders (NIH). Previous research has shown that people with schizophrenia tend to be non-tasters for PTC suggesting that the PTC mutations affect dietary choices: non-tasters prefer sweeter, high fat foods. Studies have shown that individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia have a 57% chance of being a non-taster for PTC with non-tasters also more likely to report as direct relatives of individuals with schizophrenic history and depression. Likewise, Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia that disrupts memory and other cognitive functions, is also hypothesized to be affected by dietary choices that coincide with mutations in the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor. To test this, data was extracted from the All of Us database to study PTC tasting amongst people diagnosed with schizophrenia coupled with genomic analysis to determine whether schizophrenia and PTC mutations are commonly inherited together. Furthermore, the database was also utilized to highlight the correlation between the PTC mutation on the bitter taste receptor gene and the development of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) by gathering genomic data on the following chromosome reference locations: rs714598, rs1726866, rs10246939 based on three possible single nucleotide polymorphisms. Together, these studies can guide diagnostic strategies towards onset of schizophrenia and LOAD by providing a viable biomarker target.