2. Taste occurs when a substance is dissolved in
the mouth. Gustatory system receptors are
found throughout the gastrointestinal tract,
although they are principally in the tongue
3. If we look at the language at a microscopic level,
we can observe a number of bumps called
papillae, most of which share gustatory, known
as taste receptors buttons.
As for the taste buds, we can say that they are
formed by groups of 20 to 50 cells arranged like
the segments of an orange. These cells emerge
some small cilia that project, via the taste pore,
to the saliva found in the language. These
buttons make synapses with the dendrites of
primary sensory neurons that send taste
information to the brain.
4. At the time when a gustatory stimulus enters the
mouth, activates number of taste receptors and causes
them to modify their potential membrane, producing
as a result a series of action potentials. To discriminate
different flavors, it is essential to activate one or the
other receptors, and the flavors are perceived in
different areas or regions of the oral cavity
When chocolate, which is a sweet molecule, binds to its
receptor, AMPc rises, which results in the opening of
Ca+ channels occurs. This phenomenon causes the cell
begins to deliver neurotransmitter substances
5. Taste information is
transmitted to the nucleus
of the solitary tract
located in the bulb
through different cranial
nerves (VII, IX and X). All
information from the front
of the tongue (where the
main sweet taste
receptors) will travel
through the chorda
tympani to the nucleus of
the solitary tract
6. Once this information reaches the nucleus of
the solitary tract is projected to the thalamus,
ventral medial nucleus toward the posterior.
From here travel information to the primary
gustatory cortex, located in the insular and
opercular frontal cortex and eventually the
information will be sent to the secondary
gustatory cortex, located in the lateral
orbitofrontal cortex flow
Appears to be part of the taste information is
also sent to other structures such as the
lateral hypothalamus and amygdala
