[Cerebral infarction accompanied by dysgeusia--a clinical study on the gustatory pathway in the CNS]

Dysgeusia was investigated in 11 patients with thalamic infarction and 13 patients with corona radiata infarction to locate the gustatory pathways based on the sites of the lesions. Dysgeusia was present in 4 out of 11 patients with thalamic infarction and 3 out of 13 patients with corona radiata infarction. The dysgeusia was contralateral to the lesion in all these patients. Cheiro-oral syndrome was observed as a complication in 2 patients each from both groups. The responsible lesion was located on the medial side of the ventral posterolateral (VPL) nucleus and the ventral posteromedial (VPM) nucleus in the patients with thalamic infarction who developed dysgeusia, and was located posteriorly to the corona radiata in the other group. In the patients without gustatory disturbance, on the other hand, the lesions showed no such spread. These findings suggest that the gustatory pathway ascends contralaterally in the cerebral hemisphere and that the pathway from the thalamus projects to the cerebral cortex via the posterior part of the corona radiata. It is also suggested that the pathways in the thalamus and corona radiata are very close to the sensory fibers from the mouth and hands projecting to the sensory area.