Taste Flashcards
Papillae
The bumps on your tongue
Where are taste buds located?
Edges of the papillae
Pallate
Lips
Throat
What are the four types of Papillae?
Filiform - filament shaped
Vallate - surrounded by a wall
Fugiform - mushroom-shaped
Foliate - leaf-shaped
Which three papillae are associated with taste?
Vallate (largest and fewest of all the papillae)
Fugiform
Foliate
What is the function of filiform papillae?
They provide texture so that the tongue can manipulate food
How many taste buds does a person have?
10K
How many days does it take for a taste cell to be fully replaced?
10
3 cell types that a taste bud contains
Taste Cells
Basal Cells
Supporting Cells
What are the structures on the taste cell called?
Taste Hairs
What is the taste pore?
A tiny opening in the epithelium where the taste hairs can extend through
Tastants
Substances that cause taste cells to depolarize
What are the 5 tastants?
Salt Sour Sweet Bitter Umami
How does Salt depolarize taste cells?
Na+ diffuses through Na+ channels
How does sour depolarize taste cells?
H+ ions cause depolarization
How do sweet and bitter depolarize taste cells?
They bind to receptor molecules on taste cells and use a G Protein mechanism to depolarize
How does umami depolarize taste cells?
Amino acids bind to receptors on taste hairs, then use G protein mechanism to depolarize
What other factors affect taste?
Temperature
Olfaction
What are the three nerves that carry taste sensation?
Facial Nerve VII (Anterior 2/3 of the tongue)
Glossopharyngeal Nerve IX (Posterior 1/3 of the tongue)
Vagus nerve X (Epiglotis)
Chorda Tympani
A branch of the facial nerve that transmits taste from the anterior 2/3 of the tongue
What is the process for perceiving taste
1) Axons of sensory neurons synapse with taste receptors, passing through Cranial Nerves VII, IX, X
2) Axons go to the brain stem and synapse in tractus solitarius
3) Axons synapse in the thalamus
4) Axons terminate in the taste area of the insula.
