Olfactory and TasteHursh Patel

Sharon Li

Why do you think taste and smell work so closely

together?

How many taste buds does an average human

have?

What is a Tastant?

What is an odorant?

Do Now

Taste and smell are closely involved with each other

◦ Perception of chemicals in the air and in our food

◦ Food “tastes” different when the sense of smell is damaged

It explains why food tastes differently when a person is sick.

Taste and Smell: Why?

Tastants are chemicals in food

◦ Detected by taste buds

5,000-10,000 taste buds

1 taste bud contains 50-100 specialized sensory cells

located on the papillae

Distinguishes chemicals

Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami (savory)

The Mouth

Signal messaging within the nose and the mouth

Signals are transferred to the ends of nerve fibers

◦ Sends impulses along cranial nerves to taste regions in the

brainstem

◦ Impulses are relayed to the thalamus and onto Caudal

Orbital cortex

How the mouth sends signals…

How does the mouth send signals?

Mouth Review

Odorants are airborne odor molecules

◦ Mucus membrane is found at the roof of the nose

◦ Contains sensory neurons through perforations (pores) through the bone

◦ Cilia receive odorant stimuli at sensory neuron tips

The Nose

Signaling begins at the roof of the nose

◦ Signals are sent to olfactory bulbs

◦ Then processed in Caudal Orbital cortex

How the nose sends signals…

How does the nose send signals?

Nose Review

The activity pattern of odorants acting on receptors are sent to

the olfactory bulbs

◦ Then it forms a spatial map to be able to recognize smells.

◦ This information is sent to the primary olfactory cortex

Smell perception

THE END

JUST KIDDING! ACTIVITY TIME!