2-Minute Neuroscience: Taste

In this video, I discuss the sense of taste and follow the path of taste information from the tongue to the gustatory cortex.

TRANSCRIPT:

Welcome to 2 minute neuroscience, where I explain neuroscience topics in 2 minutes or less. In this installment I will discuss taste.

The tongue is covered with many little bumps, which are sometimes mistakenly called taste buds. These small lumps of tissue, however, are known as papillae.

Taste buds are found in the walls of papillae and the grooves surrounding them.

Each taste bud contains anywhere from 50 to 150 taste receptor cells. Extending from these cells are fine microvilli, sometimes called taste hairs or gustatory hairs, which protrude through an opening called the taste pore into the mouth. These microvilli come in contact with substances in the mouth that can be tasted, also known as tastants. Tastants interact with taste receptor cells through a number of different mechanisms to depolarize the cells.

When taste cells are depolarized, they release neurotransmitters that stimulate sensory neurons that travel in cranial nerves VII, IX, and X. These neurons terminate on neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract in the medulla. From there, taste information is sent to the thalamus. Then, taste information is sent to the gustatory cortex, which is a region of the cerebral cortex found along the border between the anterior insula and a structure called the frontal operculum. The gustatory cortex allows us to consciously discriminate different taste stimuli. The taste information sent along these pathways is thought to encode for basic tastes, such as sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory or umami (whether there are others is still being debated). However, the actual flavor of a food---which is what we typically define as taste---is created by a combination of taste and olfactory information.

REFERENCE:

Vanderah TW, Gould DJ. Nolte's The Human Brain. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA. Elsevier; 2016.

[alexy]

this channel has helped me so much you saved me from failing anatomy!

[mondelwane]

the hero we didn't know we needeed

[casperoomen]

wow this is so much clearer than any school lecturer will ever be

[psnwbuq]

I love these videos for studying, TY!

[Me]

I’m not even watching for school I just wanna know why some stuff just tastes bad

[marcus]

Your videos are priceless! Unbelievably helpful.. Thank you!

[aliemyra]

What about smell? How does it correspond with taste being sent to the brain? Do the olfactory receptors work with the taste buds..

[whywhy]

I am in my upper 30s now and ever since the age of 3 vanilla cake tastes mentalic to me. It doesn't matter mostly where the cake comes from. Unless the icing is bland or something, but normal vanilla cake with vanilla icing to me taste like licking a metal spoon with nothing on it. Chocolate is somehow fine. The only things I can taste properly are salty things and ice cream. But I remember when I was 3 I tasted vanilla cake for the first time. I only took a bite and when my mom asked me how it tastes I said it tastes like metal. Is that something I should look at?

[kevbot]

Should it be noted that taste goes through the central tegmental tract (CTT) to go from the solitary nucleus to the VPM of the thalamus? I know these videos are short and maybe I am getting too in depth. Great video by the way.

[Besmaht]

Does the nucleus tractus solitaries come from solitary nuclei or go to it?

[Posdata]

hi!! can anybody explain to me somethig related to this topic, my question is: how come a piece of cake (sweet) remind us of the one our grandma used to cook for us, even though she didnt prepare and 20 years had passed--> is there a part of the brain that archives all the flavers or smth???

[chiefkeeq]

Am i the only one watching this for fun?

[godhelpme]

why our tounge has taste region like tip sweet side salt sour and bitter give me also what if sweet salt sour bitter was made sweet sweet salt salt sour sour bitter