Taste Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a main function of taste?

A

Avoidance of potentially toxic compounds

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2
Q

What section of the population are affected by chemosensory dysfunctions?

A

Elderly

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3
Q

What are chemoreceptors?

A

Receptors which are stimulated by chemical substances

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4
Q

What are 4 examples of chemoreceptors?

A
  1. Cutaneous nociceptors
  2. Circulatory sensors
  3. Olfactory receptors
  4. Taste receptors
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5
Q

Why do two nostrils receive slightly different chemical signatures?

A

Allows finer discrimination of odours

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6
Q

How are smells sensed?

A

Volatile chemicals are inhaled into nasal passages and stimulate olfactory receptors

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7
Q

What is the loss of smell called?

A

Anosmia

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8
Q

Name 5 taste sensations

A
  1. Salty
  2. Sour
  3. Bitter
  4. Sweet
  5. Umami
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9
Q

What is the loss of taste called?

A

Ageusia

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10
Q

What simulates a salty taste?

A

Positive charged sodium ions

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11
Q

What simulates a sour taste?

A

H⁺ ions

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12
Q

What stimulates a bitter taste?

A

Alkaloids

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13
Q

What stimulates a sweet taste?

A

Saccharine

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14
Q

What stimulates an umami taste?

A

Glutamate or MSG

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15
Q

Rank the 5 tastes from most sensitive to least sensitive

A
  1. Bitter
  2. Sour
  3. Umami
  4. Salty / Sweet
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16
Q

Name 4 places that taste buds can be found

A
  1. Tongue
  2. Palate
  3. Pharynx
  4. Epiglottis
17
Q

What are 3 types of taste buds located on the dorsal surface of the tongue?

A
  1. Circumvallate
  2. Folate
  3. Fungiform papillae
18
Q

Where are circumvallate taste buds found?

A

Medial margin at the rear of the tongue

19
Q

Where are folate taste buds found?

A

Lateral margin at the rear of the tongue

20
Q

Where are fungiform papillae taste buds found?

A

Anterior part of the tongue

21
Q

What are taste cells?

A

Specialised epithelial cells organised into onion-shaped units called taste buds

22
Q

What is the role of type I taste cells?

A

Supporting cells

23
Q

What is the role of type II taste cells?

A

Contain receptors for sweet, bitter and umami tastes (possibly salty)

24
Q

What is the role of type III taste cells?

A

Contain receptors for sour tastes

25
Q

What is the role of type IV taste cells?

A

Basal cells which supply new taste cells

26
Q

What is the lifetime of a taste-sensitive cell?

A

2 weeks

27
Q

What nerves innervate taste buds?

A

Facial - Cranial VII
Glossopharyngeal - Cranial IX
Vagus - Cranial X

28
Q

Give a brief account of how food is tasted

A
  • Saliva carries food over taste buds
  • Gustatory hairs causes gustatory cells to be stimulated
  • Gustatory afferent nerve of cranial nerves carry signal to brain
  • Chemicals detected translated to taste by brain
29
Q

What provides flavour of food?

A

Central processing of taste and smell

30
Q

Give 2 examples of dental products which can cause a taste disturbance

A
  1. Chlorhexidine - Bitter aftertaste

2. Sodium lauryl sulphate - Loss of sweet and salty taste

31
Q

Give 2 examples of antibiotics which can cause a taste disturbance

A
  1. Doxycycline - Anosmia

2. Tetracycline - Metallic taste

32
Q

What is the anatomical difference between supertasters, medium tasters and non-tasters?

A

The amount of fungiform papillae found in the anterior region of the tongue