Gut (anatomy)

Gustatory Area

The Gustatory Area is a region of the brain that is involved in the perception of taste. It is part of the gustatory system, which is responsible for the sense of taste, one of the five traditional senses.

Anatomy

The gustatory area is located in the insula, a part of the cerebral cortex located deep within the lateral sulcus, which is a fissure that separates the frontal lobe and parietal lobe from the temporal lobe. The insula is believed to be involved in consciousness and plays a role in diverse functions usually linked to emotion or the regulation of the body's homeostasis.

Function

The primary role of the gustatory area is to interpret the sensation of taste. When food or drink is consumed, the chemicals within them stimulate the taste buds located on the tongue. These taste buds send signals through the glossopharyngeal nerve and facial nerve to the brainstem. From there, the signals are sent to the thalamus and then to the gustatory area of the brain.

The gustatory area processes these signals and translates them into the perception of taste. The five basic tastes that this area can distinguish are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory).

Clinical Significance

Damage to the gustatory area can result in a condition known as ageusia, which is the loss of taste functions of the tongue, particularly the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami. It can also result in dysgeusia, a distortion of the sense of taste.

See Also

• Gustatory system
• Taste
• Insula
• Ageusia
• Dysgeusia