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Laterality of human primary gustatory cortex studied by MEG
Keiko Onoda1, Tatsu Kobayakawa, Minoru Ikeda
1Department of Otolaryngology, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan. okeiko@med.nihon-u.ac.jp
Chemical Senses
|September 9, 2005
Summary
Unilateral taste nerve stimulation activates both sides of the human primary gustatory cortex (PGC). This suggests a bilateral neural pathway for taste processing in the brain, impacting our understanding of gustatory laterality.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Physiology
Background:
- The laterality of the human gustatory neural pathway is not fully understood.
- Investigating the primary gustatory cortex (PGC) activation patterns is crucial for mapping taste processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the laterality of the human gustatory neural pathway.
- To demonstrate the activation of the human primary gustatory cortex (PGC) using gustatory-evoked magnetic fields (GEMfs).
Main Methods:
- Measured gustatory-evoked magnetic fields (GEMfs) using a whole-head magnetoencephalography system.
- Stimulated the left chorda tympani nerve in patients with a severed right chorda tympani nerve.
- Analyzed the frequency and latency of PGC activation in each hemisphere.
Main Results:
- The primary gustatory cortex (PGC), identified as the transitional cortex between the insula and parietal operculum, showed significant differences in response frequencies.
- Bilateral PGC responses were more frequent than only-ipsilateral or only-contralateral responses.
- Activation latencies in the PGC were not significantly different between hemispheres during bilateral responses.
Conclusions:
- Unilateral gustatory stimulation activates the transitional cortex between the insula and parietal operculum bilaterally in humans.
- These findings suggest a bilateral processing of gustatory information in the human brain.
- The study provides insights into the laterality of the human gustatory neural pathway.