Taste information is transmitted to the medulla, thalamus, limbic system, and to the gustatory cortex, which is tucked underneath the overlap between the frontal and temporal lobes (Maffei, Haley, & Fontanini, 2012; Roper, 2013).
Figure 12.10. Taste Buds. Taste buds are composed of multiple taste receptor cells. Unlike olfactory neurons, taste cells do not have axons. Taste buds contain gustatory cells, basal cells, and transitional cells. The gustatory cells contain hair like cells called microvilli that extend through the taste pore in the taste buds. These taste cells transmit information by using secondary afferent neurons to make synaptic contact with taste cells to transmit information to the thalamus. (Credit: Cheryl Olman, own photo. CC-BY-4.0)
Due to the fact that taste cells (Figure 12.10) have no axons, secondary afferent neurons with cell bodies in the nucleus of the solitary tract, which is located in the medulla of the brain stem, make synaptic contact with taste cells (Figure 12.11). Depending on where these cells and neurons come from, they will terminate in specific parts of the solitary nucleus. After termination at the solitary nucleus, the new information will relay data to the thalamus. In addition, information from the thalamus is transported to the frontal operculum and insular cortex, which is the primary taste area of the brain (Figure 12.12).
Figure 12.11. Taste Data. Location of the nucleus of the solitary tract and insular cortex (primary gustatory cortex). The NST is very low in the brainstem. It is an important site for the modification of taste information either by blood glucose (which inhibits responses) or by feedback from cortical regions like the orbitofrontal cortex. From the NST, taste information continues to the thalamus. (Credit: Mcstrother. Provided by: Wikipedia. License: Public Domain)
Figure 12.12. The insular cortex is tucked behind the frontal and temporal cortexes, which is cut away in this illustration. The insular cortex is involved in more than just our sense of taste; it receives input from all over the brain with information about how our body is doing. The dorsal (top) part of the mid-insula is where taste information from the thalamus is represented in the brain. (Credit: Schappelle. Provided by: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC-BY SA 4.0)
Summarize the taste pathway
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