title: In vivo recordings from rat geniculate ganglia: taste response properties of individual greater superficial petrosal and chorda tympani neurones.
abstract: Coding of gustatory information is complex and unique among sensory systems; information is received by multiple receptor populations located throughout the oral cavity and carried to a single central relay by four separate nerves. The geniculate ganglion is the location of the somata of two of these nerves, the greater superficial petrosal (GSP) and the chorda tympani (CT). The GSP innervates taste buds on the palate and the CT innervates taste buds on the anterior tongue. To obtain requisite taste response profiles of GSP neurones, we recorded neurophysiological responses to taste stimuli of individual geniculate ganglion neurones in vivo in the rat and compared them to those from the CT. GSP neurones had a distinct pattern of responding compared to CT neurones. For example, a small subset of GSP neurones had high response frequencies to sucrose stimulation, whereas no CT neurones had high response frequencies to sucrose. In contrast, NaCl elicited high response frequencies in a small subset of CT neurones and elicited moderate response frequencies in a relatively large proportion of GSP neurones. The robust whole-nerve response to sucrose in the GSP may be attributable to relatively few, narrowly tuned neurones, whereas the response to NaCl in the GSP may relate to proportionately more, widely tuned neurones. These results demonstrate the diversity in the initial stages of sensory coding for two separate gustatory nerves involved in the ingestion or rejection of taste solutions, and may have implications for central coding of gustatory quality and concentration as well as coding of information used in controlling energy, fluid and electrolyte homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA. ssollars@mail.unomaha.edu
authors.forename: Suzanne I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Sollars
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002814:Chorda Tympani Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005830:Geniculate Ganglion / Q000502:physiology*; D005930:Glossopharyngeal Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000502:physiology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 1995 Jun;73(6):2144-62
references.pmid: 7666129
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 1991 May;65(5):1098-114
references.pmid: 1869907
references.citation: Am J Physiol. 1997 Apr;272(4 Pt 2):R1210-8
references.pmid: 9140022
references.citation: J Neurosci. 1998 Jun 1;18(11):4353-62
references.pmid: 9592112
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 1998 Mar;63(5):945-9
references.pmid: 9618021
references.citation: Behav Neurosci. 1998 Aug;112(4):991-1000
references.pmid: 9733205
references.citation: Am J Physiol. 1999 Jun;276(6 Pt 2):R1732-8
references.pmid: 10362754
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 1953 Nov;16(6):595-607
references.pmid: 13109546
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 1988 Aug;60(2):478-98
references.pmid: 3171639
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 1999 Dec;82(6):2970-88
references.pmid: 10601433
references.citation: Brain Res. 2000 Jan 10;852(2):383-97
references.pmid: 10678766
references.citation: Am J Med. 2000 Mar 6;108 Suppl 4a:47S-50S
references.pmid: 10718452
references.citation: Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2000 Jun;278(6):R1513-7
references.pmid: 10848518
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 2000 Apr 1-15;69(1-2):41-52
references.pmid: 10854916
references.citation: Chem Senses. 2000 Dec;25(6):719-27
references.pmid: 11114150
references.citation: J Neurosci. 2001 Jul 1;21(13):4931-41
references.pmid: 11425921
references.citation: Anat Rec. 2001 Jul 1;263(3):260-8
references.pmid: 11455535
references.citation: Chem Senses. 2001 Sep;26(7):897-903
references.pmid: 11555484
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 1991 Jun;65(6):1452-63
references.pmid: 1875254
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 1991 Oct;50(4):765-9
references.pmid: 1775551
references.citation: J Neurosci. 1994 May;14(5 Pt 1):2904-10
references.pmid: 8182447
references.citation: J Comp Neurol. 1994 Sep 22;347(4):531-44
references.pmid: 7814673
references.citation: Behav Neurosci. 1994 Oct;108(5):981-7
references.pmid: 7826520
references.citation: Arch Histol Cytol. 2001 Oct;64(4):401-9
references.pmid: 11757909
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 2002 Aug;88(2):579-94
references.pmid: 12163511
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 2002 May 1;76(1):143-9
references.pmid: 12175597
references.citation: Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2002 Sep;283(3):R739-47
references.pmid: 12185009
references.citation: J Neurosci. 2002 Oct 1;22(19):8607-13
references.pmid: 12351734
references.citation: J Gen Physiol. 1973 May;61(5):588-618
references.pmid: 4705639
references.citation: J Gen Physiol. 1979 May;73(5):569-94
references.pmid: 458420
references.citation: Jpn J Physiol. 1980;30(2):305-7
references.pmid: 7463863
references.citation: J Neurosci. 1982 Jun;2(6):782-90
references.pmid: 7086483
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 1983 Oct;50(4):941-60
references.pmid: 6631471
references.citation: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1984 Mar;25(3):250-67
references.pmid: 6698746
references.citation: Brain Res. 1985 Jun 3;335(2):245-9
references.pmid: 4005554
references.citation: Brain Res. 1986 Feb 19;365(2):305-20
references.pmid: 3947995
references.citation: Physiol Behav. 1987;41(5):495-501
references.pmid: 3432405
references.citation: Brain Res. 1988 May 31;450(1-2):25-38
references.pmid: 3042090
references.citation: J Neurosci. 1997 Apr 15;17(8):2852-8
references.pmid: 9092606