NROC64H3 Study Guide - Taste Bud, Lingual Papilla, G Protein–Coupled Receptor
1 Mar 2013
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Document Summary
Chemical sensation: the oldest and most common of the sensory systems. Even brainless bacteria can detect and tumble toward a favorable food source. Chemoreceptors: chemically sensitive cells distributed throughout the body. Have strong and direct connections with basic internal needs: thirst, hunger, emotion, sex, certain forms of memory. Gustation vs olfaction: systems are separate and different in terms of: structures of chemoreceptors, mechanisms of chemoreceptors, gross organization of central connections, effects on behavior. However, the neural information from each system is processed in parallel and is merged at rather high levels in the cerebral cortex. The basic tastes: saltiness, salts, sourness, acids, sweetness, sugars, fructose, sucrose, proteins, monellin, artificial sweeteners, saccharin, aspartame, from two amino acids, bitterness. Ions: k, kcl evokes both bitter and salty tastes, mg2, complex organic molecules, quinine, caffeine, umami, delicious, msg monosodium glutamate. Therefore, to distinguish unique flavor of a food, the brain uses information about taste, smell and feel.
