Gustatory System

Question 1

tongue

Answer 1

• responsible for gripping and repositioning food btwn teeth to form a bolus
• pushes bolus toward pharynx to be swallowed

Question 2

apex

Answer 2

anterior of tongue

Question 3

root

Answer 3

part of tongue that is attached to floor of posterior surface of mouth

Question 4

frenulum

Answer 4

located on inferior surface of tongue along midline

Question 5

papillae

Answer 5

• raised bumps on tongue
• help grip food
• 2 types contain taste buds

Question 6

types of papillae (3)

Answer 6

1. circumvallate
2. fungiform
3. filiform (do not contain taste buds)

Question 7

taste buds

Answer 7

• contain chemical receptors stimulated by the cehmical composition of food
• found primarily on tongue (on circumvallate and fungiform papillae), also on mouth surface and pharynx wall
• made up of 3 types of cells

Question 8

gustatory cells

Answer 8

• chemical receptor cells in taste buds

- each terminates in a gustatory hair

Question 9

basal cells

Answer 9

• act as stem cells for taste buds

- divide into new supporting cells that then form gustatory cells

Question 10

supporting cells

Answer 10

• make up the bulk of tastebuds

- separate taste receptor cells (gustatory cells) from each other

Question 11

nociceptors

Answer 11

• pain receptors

- found on tongue, contribute to sense of taste

Question 12

thermoreceptors

Answer 12

• temperature receptors

- found on tongue, contribute to sense of taste

Question 13

gustatory hairs

Answer 13

• part of gustatory cells, project into saliva to detect food chemicals
• when detect a chemical, cause action potential to generate in the dendrites wrapped around gustatory cells

Question 14

taste pathway (4 steps)

Answer 14

1. food chemicals contact gustatory hairs, generation action potential in the dendrites wrapped around gustatory cells
2. nerve impulse carried by afferent fibers to facial nerves, then to glossopharyngeal nerves
3. glossopharyngeal nerves transmit impulse to thalamus
4. thalamus transmits impulse to parietal lobe where impulse interpreted as taste

Question 15

2 nerves involved in taste

Answer 15

1. facial nerve (info from front 2/3 of tongue)

2. glossopharyngeal (info from back 1/3 of tongue)