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Questions and Answers
Which sensory system is responsible for the sense of taste?
Where are taste buds clustered for gustatory transduction?
Which type of papillae are mushroom-like and found near the tip of the tongue?
Where are foliate papillae located on the tongue?
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Which type of papillae are sensitive and found with parallel rows of ridges?
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Where are most papillae found in the oral cavity?
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What is the main reason behind humans perceiving a large number of different tastes?
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Why may humans have a higher sensitivity to bitter substances?
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What is the primary reason for humans to crave sweet, salty, and umami tastes?
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How does adaptation to taste stimuli occur in humans?
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What contributes significantly to the way we perceive taste sensations?
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Why might artificial sweeteners taste much sweeter than natural sugars?
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What is the most common taste disorder associated with a strong, lingering taste in the mouth?
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Which taste disorder is characterized by a complete loss of the sense of taste?
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What taste disorder causes a persistent taste in the mouth, often described as foul, rancid, sour, salty, or metallic?
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What is the term for a partial loss of one type of taste?
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Which type of taste disorder may make all foods taste the same?
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What does ageusia refer to?
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What is one reason a person with a cold has a reduced sensation of taste?
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Why is it inaccurate to map each taste to a single region of the tongue?
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Which region of the tongue is most sensitive to sour tastes?
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What factor enhances taste perception besides the actual taste itself?
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How are hot and spicy sensations typically perceived in relation to taste receptors?
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How does blocking olfaction impact taste perception according to the text?
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What is the site in the medulla oblongata where taste fibers project to?
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Where does the thalamus relay taste signals to for conscious perception?
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What is the role of the orbitofrontal cortex in taste perception?
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What type of ion channel opens in taste cells for salty and sour sensations?
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What causes the depolarization of taste cells when sodium ions enter?
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How are variations in taste intensity produced?
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Study Notes
Gustation (Sense of Taste)
- The sensation of taste is called gustation or gustatory response, a special sense associated with the tongue.
- The gustatory system begins with the chemical stimulation of sensory cells clustered in about 4,000 taste buds.
- The surface of the tongue, along with the rest of the oral cavity, is lined by a stratified squamous epithelium.
Tongue Anatomy
- Raised bumps called papillae contain the structures for gustatory transduction.
- There are four types of papillae, classified according to their shape: circumvallate, foliate, filiform, and fungiform.
- Fungiform papillae are mushroom-like, scattered singly, and contain 1 to 8 taste buds.
- Foliate papillae are small, vertical folds located on the tongue's posterolateral sides, and contain several hundred taste buds.
Taste Perception
- There are five primary tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
- Each taste bud is usually most sensitive to one class of taste stimuli, but can respond to all five basic tastes.
- Thresholds for the five primary taste stimuli vary, with sensitivity for bitter substances being the highest.
- Humans tend to crave sweet, salty, and umami tastes, perhaps in response to the body's need for sugars, carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals.
- Adaptation to taste stimuli occurs rapidly, at the level of the taste bud and within the CNS.
Taste Disorder
- The most common taste disorder is Phantom Taste Perception, characterized by a strong, lingering taste in the mouth even when it is empty.
- There are three types of taste disorders: ageusia (complete loss of taste), dysgeusia (persistent taste that can mask other tastes), and hypogeusia (partial loss of one type of taste).
Areas of Response to Basic Taste Sensations
- The entire tongue is capable of perceiving all five tastes, but sensitivity levels vary for each taste.
- The tip of the tongue is most sensitive to sweet, salt, and umami tastes.
- The sides are most sensitive to sour tastes.
- The back of the tongue is most sensitive to bitter tastes.
Processing of Taste Information
- Taste fibers project to the solitary nucleus in the medulla oblongata.
- Second-order neurons arise here and relay signals to the hypothalamus, amygdala, and thalamus.
- Processed signals are further relayed to the orbitofrontal cortex, where they are integrated with signals from the nose and eyes to form an overall impression of flavor and palatability.
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Description
Test your knowledge about the sense of taste (gustation) and the anatomy of the tongue. Learn about taste buds, chemical stimulation, papillae, and more.
