Taste

Gustatory sense or the sense of taste occurs in the taste buds. Taste buds are located primarily on the tongue. They reside in the papillae which are bumps on the tongue that give it a rough texture.

The sense of taste is equivalent to the excitation of taste receptors. The receptors can identify a great amount of chemicals. However, there are five major types of tastes that are common in the Human Body:

• Salty,
• Sour,
• Sweet,
• Bitter, and
• Umami

Anatomy of Taste Buds

Taste buds are composed of a group of about 40 columnar epithelial cells bundled together along their long axis. Taste cells within a bud are arranged such that their tips form a small taste pore, and through this pore extend microvillus from the taste cells.

In the taste cells is a network of dendrites of sensory nerves called taste nerves. When taste cells are stimulated by binding of chemicals to their receptors, they depolarize and it is this depolarization that is transmitted to the taste nerve fibers. It is this that is transmitted to the brain.

Once taste signals are transmitted to the brain, several efferent neural pathways are activated that are used by the digestive system. For example, by tasting food, the brain transmits the need to increase salivation.

Conditions that can affect Taste

The sense of taste allows full appreciation of the flavor and palatability of foods and also serves as an early warning system against toxins, polluted air, smoke and spoiled food products. Physiologically, the chemical senses aid in normal digestion by triggering gastrointestinal secretions.

Common causes of taste loss include oral and perioral infections, oral appliances, Bell's palsy, medications, head trauma and mass lesions of the taste pathways. Other common causes include:

• Nutritional factors,
• Epilepsy,
• Multiple sclerosis,
• Certain medications,
• Radiation treatment of head and neck,
• Endocrine disorders, and
• Cushing’s syndrome

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