JAPAN 2 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Lateral Hypothalamus, Paraventricular Nucleus Of Hypothalamus, Cholecystokinin
Document Summary
Other chemically sensitive cells (chemoreceptors) distributed throughout the body work for the detection of irritating chemicals; nerve endings innervating digestive organs detect ingested substances, sensory endings in muscles respond to acidity etc. Some taste preference are inborn like fondness for sweetness (satisfied by mother"s milk) or disliking bitterness (many poisons are bitter). Experience can strongly alter a person"s opinion for certain tastes, like learning to like coffee. The body can also develop an appetite for certain substances in case of a deficiency, like craving for something salty. The combination of taste and smell are very important for the perception of flavor. Other properties of the food are also important like texture and temperature. The tongue is covered with little ridges called papillae (latin for bumps). Each papilla contains up to several hundred taste buds. Each taste bud also contains 50-150 taste receptor cells. Each taste receptor cell is specialized for a certain basic taste.
