The neural mechanisms of gustation: a distributed processing code.
Whenever food is placed in the mouth, taste receptors are stimulated. Simultaneously, different types of sensory fibre that monitor several food attributes such as texture, temperature and odour are activated. Here, we evaluate taste and oral somatosensory peripheral transduction mechanisms as well as the multi-sensory integrative functions of the central pathways that support the complex sensations that we usually associate with gustation. On the basis of recent experimental data, we argue that these brain circuits make use of distributed ensemble codes that represent the sensory and post-ingestive properties of tastants.
Simon
Sidney A
SA
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. sas@neuro.duke.edu
de Araujo
Ivan E
IE
Gutierrez
Ranier
R
Nicolelis
Miguel A L
MA
D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000502:physiology; D012528:Satiety Response / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled