Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Gustation

Gustation

Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by chemical compounds (tastants) dissolved in the saliva. The saliva and filiform papillae on the tongue distribute the tastants and increase their exposure to the taste receptors.

The Physiology of Taste

The Physiology of Taste

The perception of a salty flavor is facilitated by sodium ions within the oral salivary fluid. Upon consumption of a salty substance, salt crystals disassemble, leading to the liberation of its constituents—Na+ and Cl- ions. These ions subsequently dissolve into the salivary fluid present in the oral cavity. The external environment of the gustatory cells experiences an elevation in Na+ concentration, thereby establishing a potent concentration gradient. This gradient propels the diffusion of...

Taste Buds and Receptors

Taste Buds and Receptors

Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision. The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory organs,...

Synesthesia

Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a remarkable condition where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with synesthesia experience a blending or crossing of their senses, such as sight and sound, leading to cross-modal sensations. In this condition, the stimulation of one sense, such as hearing a number or musical note, triggers an experience of another sense, like sensing a specific color, taste, or smell. People...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Target-specific projections of amygdala somatostatin-expressing neurons to the hypothalamus and brainstem.

Chemical senses·2022

Same author

Distinct Populations of Amygdala Somatostatin-Expressing Neurons Project to the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract and Parabrachial Nucleus.

Chemical senses·2020

Same author

Whole-body Vibration Training in Frail, Skilled Nursing Home Residents.

International journal of exercise science·2020

Same author

Lipolysis and Fat Oxidation Are Not Altered with Presleep Compared with Daytime Casein Protein Intake in Resistance-Trained Women.

The Journal of nutrition·2019

Same author

Fat metabolism and acute resistance exercise in trained women.

Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)·2019

Same author

Tracking traumatic head injuries with the chemical senses.

World journal of otorhinolaryngology - head and neck surgery·2018

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

Published on: June 29, 2017

Cracking taste codes by tapping into sensory neuron impulse traffic.

Marion E Frank¹, Robert F Lundy, Robert J Contreras

¹Center for Chemosensory Sciences, Department of Oral Health & Diagnostic Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030-1715, United States. mfrank@neuron.uchc.edu

Progress in Neurobiology

|October 1, 2008

Summary

Mammalian taste coding involves specialized neurons for nutrients like salt and sweet, and generalist neurons for aversive stimuli. Understanding these distinct pathways is key to deciphering taste perception.

More Related Videos

Base Recording: A Technique for Analyzing Responses of Taste Neurons in Drosophila

Base Recording: A Technique for Analyzing Responses of Taste Neurons in Drosophila

Published on: March 1, 2024

In vivo Calcium Imaging of Mouse Geniculate Ganglion Neuron Responses to Taste Stimuli

In vivo Calcium Imaging of Mouse Geniculate Ganglion Neuron Responses to Taste Stimuli

Published on: February 11, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 30, 2026

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

Published on: June 29, 2017

Base Recording: A Technique for Analyzing Responses of Taste Neurons in Drosophila

Base Recording: A Technique for Analyzing Responses of Taste Neurons in Drosophila

Published on: March 1, 2024

In vivo Calcium Imaging of Mouse Geniculate Ganglion Neuron Responses to Taste Stimuli

In vivo Calcium Imaging of Mouse Geniculate Ganglion Neuron Responses to Taste Stimuli

Published on: February 11, 2021

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Sensory Biology
Taste Perception

Background:

Electrophysiological recordings from taste nerves have been crucial for understanding mammalian taste quality coding.
Chorda tympani neurons, involved in taste discrimination, function as either specialists or generalists.
Specialists respond to single taste qualities, while generalists respond to multiple aversive qualities.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the biological basis of mammalian taste quality coding.
To differentiate the roles of specialist and generalist neurons in taste perception.
To investigate the neural pathways for nutrient and aversive taste stimuli.

Main Methods:

Electrophysiological recordings from taste nerves.
Behavioral cross-generalization in conditioned taste tests.
Analysis of molecular receptors like T1R and ENaC, and candidate channels like PDK TRP.

Main Results:

Sweet-stimulus (S) specialists utilize T1R receptors, and Na(+)-salt (N) specialists use ENaC, supporting labeled line coding.
Generalist neurons show less specificity than candidate receptors for sour and other stimuli.
T2Rs diversified in mammals for detecting dangerous substances, suggesting niche-specific evolution.

Conclusions:

Specialist pathways for nutrients and generalist pathways for aversive stimuli may coexist in transmitting taste information.
Further research using natural stimuli is needed to resolve the specific roles of generalist neurons.
Understanding afferent neuron information flow for complex natural tastes is essential to "crack taste codes."