The document explains the human taste pathway, detailing the role of papillae and taste buds in taste perception. It describes how taste receptor cells detect tastants and transmit signals through cranial nerves to the gustatory cortex for taste discrimination. The combination of taste and olfactory information ultimately contributes to the perception of flavors like sweet, sour, and umami.

1. Taste
Pathway
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY

2. TONGUE
oTongue is covered with many little bumps which are mistakenly called as taste
buds.
oThese similar lumps of tissue is rather known as papillae, these so called taste
bud are found in the walls of papillae and the groves around them, each taste
buds contains at most 50-150 taste receptor cells.
oExtended from these cells are fine microvilli, gustatory hair, which protrude
through the opening called taste pore into the mouth, these comes in contact with
substance in mouth that can be tasted also known as tastants.

3. Taste cells
o They act in different mechanism to depolarize the cells when taste
cells are depolarized they release neurotransmitters that
stimulate sensory neurons.
o
o That travels through cranial nerves 7,9,10 (in roman letters)they
terminate on neuron of nucleus of solitary tract in the medulla.
o From these the information is sent to the gustatory cortex.

4. Pathway
The gustatory cortex allows us to consciously discriminate
different taste stimuli.
The taste info sent along these pathway is through to
encode for basic taste such as sweet, sour, salty, bitter,
savory & umami
The actual taste is formed by the combination of taste
and olfactory information
Certain food molecules dissolved in the saliva activates
the taste receptor cells in mouth, these chemical stimuli
is then converted into electrical stimuli & sent via several
nerves to the cortex where they are interpreted as taste.
These cells are organized into groups called taste buds ,
which are intern present inside the papillae.

5. Thank you
MIDHUN THIRUMANGALATH | ASSIST. PROFESSOR |@CIHS MYSURU