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Taste and Smell (Neurophysio)
Taste and Smell (Neurophysio)
Taste buds
aggregations of 30-100 individual elongated
"neuroepithelial" cells
50-60 microns in height
30-70 microns in width
embedded in specializations of surrounding epithelium,
termed papillae
Types of papillae:
...Fungiform, foliate, circumvallate, filiform
Taste buds
below the taste bud, taste cells are joined by tight
junctional complexes
At the base of the taste bud, afferent taste nerve axons
invade the bud and ramify extensively, each fibre
typically synapsing with multiple receptor cells within
the taste bud
located throughout the oral cavity, in the pharynx, the
laryngeal epiglottis and at the entrance of the
oesophagus
number of taste buds declines with age
Salt taste
neurotransmitter release
occurs and results in
increased firing in the
primary afferent nerve
Sour taste
Sour is acidic
H+ ions block K+
channels
Blocking of these
channels causes a
depolarization
Ca2+ entry, transmitter
release and increased
firing in the primary
afferent nerve
Sweet taste
Bitter taste
Bitter substances cause
the second messenger
(IP3) mediated release of
Ca2+ from internal stores
(external Ca2+ is not
required)
The elevated Ca2+
causes transmitter
release
this increases the firing of
the primary afferent nerve
Umami taste
Umami is the taste of certain amino acids (e.g.
glutamate, aspartate and related compounds)
It was first identified by Kikunae Ikeda at the Imperial
University of Tokyo in 1909
Umami taste
Recently it has been shown that the metabotropic
glutamate receptor (mGluR4) mediates umami taste
Binding to the receptor activates a G-protein
this may elevate intracellular Ca2+
Modifying taste
Taste exhibits almost complete adaptation to a stimulus
perception of a substance fades to almost nothing in seconds
Taste map
the classical "taste map" is an over simplification
Sensitivity to all tastes is distributed across the whole
tongue and to other regions of the mouth where there
are taste buds (epiglottis, soft palate)
some areas are indeed more responsive to certain tastes
than others
Innervation
Taste receptor cells do not have an axon
Information is relayed onto terminals of sensory fibres by
neurotransmitter
These fibers arise from the ganglion cells of the cranial
nerves
Vll (facial - a branch called the chorda tympani)
lX (glossopharyngeal)
Central pathways
Primary gustatory fibers synapse centrally in the medulla
(in a thin line of cells called the nucleus of the solitary
tract)
From there the information is relayed
1 to the somatosensory cortex for the conscious
perception of taste
2 to the hypothalamus, amygdala and insula, giving
the so-called "affective" component of taste
This is responsible for the behavioural response,
e.g. aversion, gastric secretion, feeding behaviour.
Flavor
Flavor is a combination of
Taste
Smell
texture (touch sensation)
and other physical features
(eg. temperature)
Physiology of Smell
Olfactory epithelium
Contains
sensory cells
Bowman's glands producing
the secretion that bathes the
surface of the receptors
This is an aqueous
secretion containing
mucopolysaccharides,
immunoglobulins, proteins
(e.g. lysozyme) and various
enzymes (e.g. peptidases)
pigmented-type of epithelial cell
Mitral cells
the principal neurons in
the olfactory bulb
There are about 50,000
of these cells in each
bulb
They have a primary
apical dendrite which
extends into a spherical
bundle of neuropil
called a glomerulus
Other cells
Periglomerular cells
- are involved in lateral inhibition at the level of the
glomeruli
Granule cells
-inhibitory interneurones
Olfactory ensheathing cells
like glial cells
Central connections
Neurons from the lateral olfactory tract project to
Areas of the limbic system (amygdala, septal nuclei,
entorhinal cortex and hippocampus)
The septal nuclei and amygdala contain regions
known as the "pleasure centres
The hippocampus is concerned with motivational
memory (the association of certain stimuli with
food)
Neurotransmitters
Glutamate
Noradrenalin
Dopamine
GABA - inhibitory
Thank you
for your kind
attention...