[Quantitative analysis of the gustatory evoked potentials in the guinea pig]

Gustatory evoked potentials were studied in anesthetized guinea pigs to develop an objective and quantitative taste examination for patients with taste disorders. A positive wave was recorded by the application of NaCl, HCl or quinine hydrochloride solution. There was little difference in latency, duration and waveform among these three solutions. No apparent change in activity was seen after the application of sucrose solution or distilled water. The gustatory evoked potentials that excluded the influence of the trigeminal nerve innervating the tongue surface were able to be reproducibly recorded on either the cortical surface or the skull surface. There was a linear relationship between logarithmic values of potential amplitude and those of taste solution concentration. Therefore, it is suspected that the quantitative evaluation of taste detection is possible by measuring the taste solution concentration-potential amplitude relationship.