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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Neurosci. 2010 May 20;33(7):326–334. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2010.04.002

Figure 1. Schematic representation of the rodent taste pathway organization.

Figure 1

(a) Taste receptor cells (TRC) are the chemical sensors and are grouped in anatomical structures called taste buds distributed into different papillae of the tongue and the oral cavity. Each taste bud contains four different types of cells: 3 types of TRCs (types 1, 2 and 3) and basal cells involved in the genesis of new TRCs. (b) Three cranial nerves (VII, IX, X) innervate different parts of the oral cavity and convey taste information to the rNST. Input from the trigeminal nerve (V) also contributes to gustatory processing. The rNST is interconnected with other CNS regions. It receives input from the pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN), the lateral hypothalamus, the gustatory cortex (GC), the central amygdala and reciprocally from the caudal (visceral) NST. The PBN projects to the VPMpc that in turn projects to the GC, that in turn projects to the OFC. OFC neurons project and receive inputs from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (not shown). The medial prefrontal cortex (not shown) appears to function as a sensory–visceromotor link that provides the major cortical output to visceromotor structures in the hypothalamus and brainstem. (c) Anatomical overview of the central taste pathways. Scale bar 1 mm in red boxes. Abbreviations: 4V: fourth ventricle, AI: agranular insular cortex, BA: basolateral amygdala, Bar: Barrington’s nucleus, DI: dysgranular insular cortex, GC: gustatory cortex, GI: granular insular cortex, Hyp: lateral hypothalamus, icp: inferior cerebellar peduncle, LA: lateral amygdala, LC: locus coeruleus, LPBV: lateral parabrachial nucleus ventral, M1: primary motor cortex, mcp: middle cerebellar peduncle, me5: mesencephalic 5 tract, Mo5: motor trigeminal nucleus, NST: nucleus of the solitary tract, OFC: orbitofrontal cortex, PBN: parabrachial nucleus, Pir: piriform cortex, S1: primary somatosensory cortex, S1bf: somatosensory cortex barrel field, S2: secondary somatosensory cortex, sol: solitary tract, sp5: spinal trigeminal tract, ts: tectospinal tract, VPL: ventral osterolateral nucleus of the thalamus, VPMpc: ventral posteromedial nucleus of the thalamus parvocellular division, vsc: ventral spinocerebellar tract.