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Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds
Published on: February 11, 2021
Changes in taste bud volume during taste disturbance
Ehab Srur1, Hans Wilhelm Pau, Tino Just
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Rostock, Germany.
Auris, Nasus, Larynx
|January 14, 2011
Summary
Serial volume measurements of taste buds using confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed changes over time. These volume changes, not morphology, indicated taste disturbance in a patient with gustatory sensitivity loss.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Biology
Background:
- Confocal laser scanning microscopy enables on-line mapping and serial volume measurements of taste buds.
- Understanding the peripheral gustatory organ's changes over time is crucial for diagnosing taste disturbances.
Observation:
- Volumetric measurements of four fungiform papillae were tracked over 8 weeks in a 62-year-old male patient experiencing taste disturbance.
- Taste disturbance was more pronounced on the right side of the tongue.
- No taste buds were detected in two right-sided fungiform papillae by week 6 and 8.
- Electrogustometry showed no response to maximal stimuli on the right tongue in weeks 6 and 8.
- Fungiform papilla morphology remained consistent throughout the observation period.
Findings:
- A significant correlation was observed between the time course of papilla volume changes and the patient's gustatory sensitivity.
- The absence of taste buds in specific papillae corresponded with the loss of taste sensation on the right tongue.
- Fungiform papilla morphology did not change, indicating it was not the primary indicator of taste disturbance.
Implications:
- The dynamic changes in taste bud volume over time serve as a key indicator of peripheral gustatory dysfunction.
- This study highlights the utility of serial volumetric analysis in assessing taste disturbances.
- Volumetric tracking offers a more sensitive measure of taste alterations than static morphological assessment.
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