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Related Concept Videos

Taste Buds and Receptors01:20

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,...
Gustation01:43

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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 Taste01:24

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...
Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding
10:59

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

Published on: June 29, 2017

Identification of human gustatory cortex by activation likelihood estimation.

Maria G Veldhuizen1, Jessica Albrecht, Christina Zelano

  • 1Affective Sensory Neuroscience, John B. Pierce Laboratory, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Human Brain Mapping
|February 10, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Neuroimaging studies reveal taste-responsive brain regions, but their exact locations are debated. This study provides a new probability map of gustatory brain activation to resolve ambiguity.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Neuroimaging
  • Sensory Processing

Background:

  • Neuroimaging has identified taste-responsive brain regions over 20 years.
  • The precise locations of these gustatory areas remain inconsistent and debated in existing literature.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To resolve ambiguity in the location of taste-responsive brain regions.
  • To create a probability map of gustatory brain activation using a novel meta-analytic method.
  • To provide a functional "taste map" for future neuroimaging analyses.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a new meta-analytic method called activation likelihood estimation (ALE).
  • Analyzed data from 15 independent neuroimaging studies on gustatory stimulation.
  • Generated a probability map of gustatory brain activation.

Main Results:

  • Identified significant cortical activation probabilities in bilateral anterior, mid-dorsal, and posterior insula/opercular regions.
  • Confirmed activation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), medial OFC, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (prACC), and mediodorsal thalamus.
  • The results confirm multiple cortical areas within the insula and operculum are involved in gustatory processing.

Conclusions:

  • The study confirms the involvement of multiple cortical areas in gustatory processing.
  • A functional "taste map" was generated, serving as a valuable tool for future research.
  • Highlights areas for increased research focus in human central gustatory processing.