The Chemical Senses: Taste

Dr. Sovan Bagchi

Professor of Physiology

www.gmu.ac.ae COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

 Learning Objectives

Describe sense of tastes

Classify modalities of taste sensation

Describe chemical basis of taste

Describe pathways for taste

What is the sense of taste?
• The 10,000 or so taste buds are mostly found on the tongue

• Found in papillae of the tongue mucosa

• Taste buds are scattered in the oral cavity and pharynx- most
abundant on the tongue papillae.

• Gustatory cells (receptor cells of taste buds) have microvilli

that serve as receptor regions. They become excited by the
binding of chemicals to receptors on their microvilli.

• Taste is 80% smell.

Primary Sensations of Taste

Chemical senses – gustation (taste)

They are Sour, Salty, Sweet, Bitter, and "Umami.“

13 possible chemical receptors in the taste cells - 2 Na receptors, 2 K

receptors, 1 Cl receptor, 1 adenosine receptor, 1 inosine receptor, 2 sweet
receptors, 2 bitter receptors, 1 glutamate receptor, and 1 H+ receptor.
Sour - by acids (H+)

Salt- by ionized salts (Na+)

Sweet – by sugars, glycols, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, AA etc.

Bitter - long-chain organic substances that contain nitrogen, and alkaloids.

Umami ("delicious") by I-Glutamate (recent advances)

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Modalities

4 basic taste modalities

a) Bitter
b) Sour
c) Salt
d) Sweet
e) Umami
 Taste Buds

Ovoid bodies - diameter 1/30 mm and length 1/16 mm.

Receptor cells (Taste cell) among several types of supportive cells (sustentacular cells)

50-70 nerve fibers supply each bud

Old receptor cells continuously shed

Life span = 10 days

Outer tips of the taste cells are arranged around a minute taste pore

Tip of each taste cell, several microvilli, it is act as receptor surface for
taste

3000 - 10,000 taste buds in oral cavity

Beyond the age of 45 years, taste buds degenerate

Nerve lesion  degeneration of buds

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Location of the Taste Buds

Circumvallate papillae - V line on

the surface of the posterior tongue.

Fungiform papillae - anterior

surface of the tongue

Foliate papillae - folds along the

lateral surfaces of the tongue
Taste Pathway

Ant. 2/3 tongue - lingual nerve - chorda

tympani VII (Facial)
Post. 1/3 tongue IX (Glossopharyngeal)

Oral cavity X (Vagus)

Nucleus of Tractus Solitarius (Medulla)

Via medial lemniscus to ventral posterior

medial nucleus of thalamus
Ipsilateral primary sensory area cortex &
opercular insular cortex
Taste Blindness

Taste blind for different types of thiourea compounds

A substance used frequently by psychologists for demonstrating

taste blindness is phenylthiocarbamide
Taste Reflexes Integrated in the Brain
Stem

From the tractus solitarius, many taste signals are

transmitted within the brain stem itself directly into the
superior and inferior salivatory nuclei

These areas transmit signals to the submandibular,

sublingual, and parotid glands to help control the secretion
of saliva during the ingestion and digestion of food
Dysgeusia

A foul, salty, rancid, or metallic taste sensation persists in the mouth.

Sometimes accompanied by burning mouth syndrome, a condition in which a person

experiences a painful burning sensation in the mouth

Loss of taste or altered sense of taste is also a key symptom of COVID-19.

Most of the time, dysgeusia is a side effect of certain treatments or medications

Due to vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

Conditions

Dry mouth (xerostomia):

Vitamin or mineral deficiencies:.

Inflammation:

Nerve damage:

GERD (chronic acid reflux)

Neurologic disorders: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis (MS) have been associated with dysgeusia.

Metabolic disorders: Diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney disease and other metabolic conditions can cause dysgeusia.

Dental prosthesis: In the elderly the prosthesis can cover the soft palate and inhibit the activity of taste receptors.

Pregnancy: Due to a surge of hormones. Symptoms typically go away on their own after the first trimester.
Learning Resources

Textbook
• John E. Hall and Michael E. Hall. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 14th ed.
Elsevier. 2021. ISBN: 978-0-323-59712-8. Chapter: 54. Page no. 675-682

• Power-point presentation in the moodle