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The gustatory pathway. Taste Receptor Cells. Arise from epithelial cells and are located on taste buds in the papillae of the tongue Detect different taste qualities each with a unique chemosensory mechanism Salty Sour Bitter Sweet Umami
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Taste Receptor Cells • Arise from epithelial cells and are located on taste buds in the papillae of the tongue • Detect different taste qualities each with a unique chemosensory mechanism • Salty • Sour • Bitter • Sweet • Umami • Innervated by the primary afferent fibers of cranial nerves VII, IX, and X
Taste buds on the anterior tongue and palate innervated by the intermediate nerve (VII) • Posterior tongue and pharynx innervated by glossopharyngeal nerve (IX) • Epiglottis and larynx innervated by vagus nerve (X) • The afferent fibers of these cranial nerves synapse with many taste cells between single or multiple taste buds • Intermediate nerve afferents enter the brain stem at the pontomedullary junction • Glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve afferents enter the brain stem in the rostral medulla Cranial Nerves
Ascending Gustatory Pathway • The afferent fibers of the cranial nerves collect in the rostral solitary nucleus • Axons ascend ipsilaterally in the central tegmental tract of the brain stem and terminate in the parvocellular division of the ventral posterior medial nucleus of the thalamus • From the thalamus, neurons project to the insular cortex, the posterior limb of the internal capsule, and the operculum (primary gustatory areas)
The insular cortex projects to the orbitofrontal cortex • Both cortices are part of the limbic system • The limbic system is responsible for the behavioral and emotional significance of taste
The gustatory cortex is located completely beneath the cortical surface. PET scan – Cortical activation after presentation of 5% sucrose solution
The Gustatory System is Complex • Much about the system is still unknown • Labeled Line Model – suggests that different tastes have segregated pathways to the brain • Across Fiber Theory – different tastes are represented by different activity across a neural population