2-Minute Neuroscience: Taste

Summary

In this 2-minute neuroscience video, the process of taste is explored, explaining how the tongue's papillae, which house taste buds, interact with tastants. The taste receptor cells in the buds send signals through cranial nerves to the brain, eventually reaching the gustatory cortex, where taste is consciously recognized. The video highlights the basic tastes like sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, while also noting that flavor is a combination of taste and smell. The discussion is a quick dive into the fascinating mechanisms behind our perception of taste.

Takeaways

• 😀 The tongue is covered with papillae, small bumps, not taste buds, which are located within the papillae.
• 😀 Taste buds contain 50 to 150 taste receptor cells, which are responsible for detecting tastes.
• 😀 Microvilli, also known as taste or gustatory hairs, extend from the receptor cells and interact with tastants.
• 😀 Tastants are substances in the mouth that can be tasted and interact with taste receptor cells to depolarize them.
• 😀 Depolarization of taste cells causes them to release neurotransmitters, which activate sensory neurons.
• 😀 Sensory neurons travel through cranial nerves VII, IX, and X to reach the nucleus of the solitary tract in the medulla.
• 😀 Taste information is relayed to the thalamus, and then to the gustatory cortex for conscious perception of taste.
• 😀 The gustatory cortex is located along the border of the anterior insula and frontal operculum in the cerebral cortex.
• 😀 The gustatory cortex allows us to discriminate between different tastes such as sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
• 😀 The actual flavor of food is the combination of taste and olfactory (smell) information, not just taste alone.

Q & A

What are the small bumps on the tongue often called, and what are they actually known as?

The small bumps on the tongue are often mistakenly called taste buds. However, they are actually known as papillae.

Where are taste buds located?

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

What are taste receptor cells, and how many are typically found in a taste bud?

Taste receptor cells are specialized cells in the taste buds that detect tastants. Each taste bud contains between 50 to 150 taste receptor cells.

What are microvilli, and what role do they play in taste perception?

Microvilli, also called taste hairs or gustatory hairs, extend from the taste receptor cells. They protrude through a taste pore and interact with tastants, allowing the taste cells to detect substances in the mouth.

What are tastants?

Tastants are substances in the mouth that can be tasted. They interact with taste receptor cells to produce taste sensations.

How do taste receptor cells generate signals that lead to the sensation of taste?

Tastants interact with taste receptor cells in various ways, causing the cells to depolarize. This depolarization triggers the release of neurotransmitters that stimulate sensory neurons, which send signals to the brain.

Which cranial nerves are involved in transmitting taste information to the brain?

The sensory neurons involved in taste information travel in cranial nerves VII (facial nerve), IX (glossopharyngeal nerve), and X (vagus nerve).

What role does the nucleus of the solitary tract play in taste processing?

The nucleus of the solitary tract, located in the medulla, receives taste information from the sensory neurons and plays a critical role in processing this information.

After the nucleus of the solitary tract, where is taste information sent?

After the nucleus of the solitary tract, taste information is sent to the thalamus and then to the gustatory cortex.

What is the gustatory cortex, and where is it located?

The gustatory cortex is a region of the cerebral cortex responsible for the conscious perception of taste. It is located along the border between the anterior insula and the frontal operculum.

What is the difference between taste and flavor?

Taste refers to the basic sensations such as sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory (umami). Flavor, however, is a combination of taste and olfactory (smell) information, creating the overall experience of food.

Are there other basic tastes beyond sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory (umami)?

The presence of other basic tastes beyond sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami is still being debated in the scientific community.