title: Bilateral Ageusia in a Patient with a Left Ventroposteromedial Thalamic Infarct: Cortical Localization of Taste Sensation by Statistical Parametric Mapping Analysis of PET Images.
abstract: Unilateral taste loss is usually observed on the side contralateral to a thalamic infarction, despite gustatory function being represented bilaterally. We report a rare case of bilateral taste loss in a patient with an acute left unilateral thalamic infarction, with unilateral left insular hypometabolism demonstrated by statistical parametric map analysis of PET images. Our observations suggest that the left insular cortex and left ventroposteromedial thalamic nuclei are critical to bilateral gustatory sensation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyunseok
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Jee H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Kyoung-Gyu
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Duk L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Na