When a tastant enters the mouth, what are all the structures it passes on its way to
becoming a fully
processed neural signal? Fill in the blanks below.
The food enters the mouth, passing the [1] (tip) of the tongue. It is moved around by the
motion of the tongue and teeth as the food is chewed. Its movement is facilitated by [2]
on the tongue, which are jagged, aiding them in their ability to move food. [3], on the [4]
of the tongue, and [5], located [6], come in contact with the [7].
Both types of papillae have [8] that have receptors for the individual tastes-sweet, sour,
salty, umami (savory), and bitter. Once a tastant is bound to the receptor, it creates a
signal that travels through one of three cranial nerves, depending on the location of the
taste bud. For a taste bud located on the front of the tongue, the signal travels through
the [9]. For a taste bud located on the back of the tongue, the signal travels through the
[10]. For a taste bud located on the middle and back of the tongue, the signal travels
through the [11]. These signals travel to the [12] of the brainstem, where they are
relayed to the [13] for higher processing.