Gustation

Nucleus of solitary tract

A nucleus of the medulla that receives info from the visceral organs and from the gustatory system.

What is the pathway of gustatory info to the brain? (simple)

Taste receptors in the tongue send taste info to the brain via cranial nerves. Taste info first enters the nucleus of the solitary tract in the medulla, then to the thalamus, then the primary gustatory cortex, and finally the secondary gustatory cortex.

Chorda tympani

A branch of the facial nerve that passes beneath the eardrum; conveys taste info from the anterior part of the tongue and controls the secretion of some salivary glands.

Which parts of the tongue correspond to the different cranial nerves.

Info from the anterior part of the tongue travels through the 'chorda tympani' a branch of the seventh cranial nerve (facial nerve). Taste receptors in the posterior part of the tongue send info through the lingual (tongue) branch of the ninth cranial nerve (glossopharyngeal nerve; the tenth cranial nerve (vagus nerve) carries info from receptors of the palate and epiglottis.

How is taste represented in the brain?

It is represented ipsilaterally. And the primary gustatory cortex contains a taste map.

What are the two families of receptors responsible for detecting sweet, bitter, and umami tastes?

T1R (sweet and umami) - T1R1 - T1R2 - T1R3 T2R (bitter)

What are the two components of the umami receptor?

T1R1 + T1R3

What are the two components of the sweet receptor?

T1R2 + T1R3

What is the pathway of gustatory info to the brain?

The first relay station for taste in the nucleus of the solitary tract, located in the medulla. Then the neurons of the that nucleus send their axons to the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus. Thalamic taste-sensitive neurons send their axons to the primary gustatory cortex, which is located in the base of the frontal cortex and in the insular cortex. Neurons in this region project to the secondary gustatory cortex, located in the caudolateral orbitofrontal cortex.

Gustatory info is conveyed to the brain through which cranial nerves?

The seventh, ninth, and tenth cranial nerves.

Umami

The taste sensation produced by glutamate.

What needs to happens to salt so that we can taste it and what leads up to the release of a neurotransmitter?

To taste salty, a substance must 'ionize'. When sodium is present in the saliva, sodium enters the taste cell and depolarizes it, triggering action potentials that cause the cell to release a neurotransmitter.