PSY 343 CH 15

umami

the taste sensation produced by monosodium glutamate

salty

one of the 4 basic tastes; the taste quality produced by the cations of salts. The purest salty taste is produced by sodium chloride

sour

one of the 4 basic tastes; the taste quality produced by the hydrogen ion in acids

bitter

one of the four basic tastes; the taste quality, generally considered unpleasant, produced by substances like quinine or caffeine

cranial nerves

12 pairs of nerves (one for each side of the body) that originate in the brain stem and reach sense organs and muscles through openings in the skull

insular cortex

the primary cortical processing area for taste - the part of the cortex that first receives taste information. AKA insula or gustatory cortex

retronasal olfactory sensation

the sensation of an odor that is perceived when chewing and swallowing force an odorant in the mouth up behind the palate into the nose. Actual contact of odorant and receptor occurs at the olfactory mucosa.

microvilli

slender projections of the cell membrane on the tips of some taste bud cells that extend into the taste pore

monosodium gluatamate

AKA, MSG. the sodium salt of glutamic acid

supertaster

an individual whose perception of taste sensations is the most intense. The most important factor of this is the heightened density of fungiform papillae

taste receptor cell

a cell within the taste bud that contains sites on its apical projection that can interact with taste stimuli. These sites fall into 2 major categories: those interacting with charged particles and those interacting with specific chemical structures

dimer

a chain of two molecules

heterodimer

a chain of two molecules that are different from each other

taste bud

a globular cluster of cells that has the function of creating neural signals conveyed to the brain by the taste nerves. Some of the cells in this have specialized sites on their apical projections that interact with taste stimuli.

labeled lines

a theory of taste coding in which each taste nerve fiber carries a particular taste quality. (ex. the quality evoked from a sucrose best fiber is sweet, that from an NaCl best fiber is salty, etc)

taster (of PTC/PROP)

an individual born with one or both dominant alleles for the TAS2R38 gene and is able to taste specific compounds. These individuals who have a high density of fungiform papillae are PROP supertasters

nontaster (of PTC/PROP)

an individual born with two recessive alleles for the TAS2R38 gene and is unable to taste specific compounds

papilla

any of multiple structures that give the tongue its bumpy appearance. The papilla types that contain taste buds are fungiform, foliate, and circumvallate. filiform papilla don't contain taste buds and they're the smallest / most numerous

basic taste

any of the four taste qualities that are generally agreed to describe human taste experience: sweet, salty, sour, bitter

tastant

any stimulus that can be tasted

circumvallate papillae

circular structures that form an inverted V on the rear of the tongue. Mound like structures surrounded by a trench. Much larger than fungiform papillae.

foliate papillae

folds of tissues containing taste buds. These are located on the rear of the tongue lateral to the circumvallate papillae, where the tongue attaches to the mouth

fungiform papillae

mushroom shaped structures that are distributed most densely on the edges of the tongue, especially the tip. Taste buds are buried in the surface.

sweet

one of the 4 basic tastes; the taste quality produced by some sugars, such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. Our sweet receptors are tuned to all 3 sugars.

filiform papillae

small structures on the tongue that provide most of the bumpy appearance. Have no taste function.

cross modality matching

the ability to match the intensities of sensations that come from different sensory modalities. This ability enables insight into sensory differences.

chorda tympani

the branch of the facial cranial nerve that carries taste information from the anterior, mobile tongue (the part that can be stuck out). This exits the tongue with the lingual branch of the trigeminal nerve and then passes through the middle ear on its way to the brain

flavor

the combination of true taste (sweet salty bitter sour) and retronasal olfaction

specific hungers theory

the idea that deficiency of a given nutrient produces a craving for that nutrient. Curt Richter produced this theory.

orbitofrontal cortex

the part of the frontal lobe of the cortex that lies behind the bone containing the eyes. Responsible for the conscious experience of olfaction, as well as the integration of pleasure and displeasure from food. Critical for assigning affective value to stimuli - determining hedonic meaning.