OAKLEY, B. Reformation of taste buds by crossed sensory nervps in the rat’s tongue. Acta physiol. scand. 1970. 79. 88-94. Rat taste buds degenerate and disappear when their nerve supply is cut. Regeneration of the taste nerve fibres causes certain epithelial cells to differentiate into slender receptor cells comprising the taste bud. In this study by cross-union the glossopharyngeal (IXth) nerv...

Sour taste is detected by a subset of taste cells on the tongue and palate epithelium that respond to acids with trains of action potentials. Entry of protons through a Zn(2+)-sensitive proton conductance that is specific to sour taste cells has been shown to be the initial event in sour taste transduction. Whether this conductance acts in concert with other channels sensitive to changes in int...

Umami taste is produced by glutamate acting on a fifth taste system. However, glutamate presented alone as a taste stimulus is not highly pleasant, and does not act synergistically with other tastes (sweet, salt, bitter and sour). We show here that when glutamate is given in combination with a consonant, savory, odour (vegetable), the resulting flavor can be much more pleasant. Moreover, we sho...

BACKGROUND The gustatory system plays a critical role in determining food preferences, food intake and energy balance. The exact mechanisms that fine tune taste sensitivity are currently poorly defined, but it is clear that numerous factors such as efferent input and specific signal transduction cascades are involved. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Using immunohistochemical analyses, we show ...

BACKGROUND Taste sensitivity varies between individuals. Several studies describe differences between obese and non-obese subjects concerning their taste perception. However, data are partly contradictory and insufficient. Therefore, in this study taste sensitivity of obese and non-obese children/adolescents was analysed. METHODS In a cross-sectional study gustatory sensitivity of n=99 obese ...

OBJECTIVES Terbinafine (Lamisil), a widely prescribed oral antifungal agent, reportedly induces taste loss in 0.6% to 2.8% of those taking the drug. However, many so-called taste problems reflect olfactory problems, and the sole empirical study published on this topic, based on whole-mouth testing of a single subject, found no terbinafine-related deficit. In this study, we quantitatively assess...

Rats were given to drink an unfamiliar taste solution under conditions that result in long-term memory of that taste. The insular cortex, which contains the taste cortex, was then removed and assayed for activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades by using antibodies to the activated forms of various MAPKs. Extracellular responsive kinase 1-2 (ERK1-2) in the cortical homogena...

Nearly a century ago, Ikeda insisted that there existed one other taste which is distinct from the four basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter, and tried to isolate a unique taste substance from a major ingredient of Japanese broth, seaweed Laminaria japonica. He identified glutamic acid as the taste substance and named the taste of glutamate umami. His paper in old-style Japanese was re...