Taste anatomy includes tongue, taste buds, chemical receptors, and neurons. Tongue chemical receptors send to thalamus, which sends to cortical regions.
Tongue skin has chemical receptors for water-soluble molecules {taste, anatomy}. Receptors have one receptor type. Taste uses four or five main receptor types, each with variations. Receptors have dozens of combinations. Taste buds have all receptor types. Tongue has no special salt, sweet, or sour regions.
Taste neurons typically receive from more than one taste-receptor type. Taste neurons detect one main taste category: salt-best, sugar-best, acid-best, and bitter-best. Similar taste sensations vary only in intensity, not in quality, because similar receptors go to same taste neuron.
Medulla solitary tract nucleus receives from tongue cranial nerves 7, 9, and 10, determines taste preferences, and sends to thalamus and to parabrachial nucleus, which also receives from GI tract. Taste cortex is in insula, which sends to orbitofrontal cortex.
Consciousness>Consciousness>Sense>Taste>Anatomy
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Date Modified: 2022.0224