Taste pathway

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The taste pathway is an ascending sensory pathway that carries gustatory information. It is provided by the special visceral afferent (SVA) fibers of the facial (CN VII), glossopharyngeal (IX) and vagus nerve (CN X). Special visceral afferent fibers by definition convey information about special senses related to the gastrointestinal tract (i.e. taste, olfaction).

The main organ of gustation (taste) is the tongue, with its anterior two-thirds being innervated by the facial nerve, and its posterior one-third by the glossopharyngeal nerve. Additional structures capable of gustation are the inferior surface of the soft palate, supplied by the facial nerve, and the epiglottis, supplied by the vagus nerve.

Neurons involved in gustation synapse in the nucleus of the solitary tract in the medulla oblongata. From here, the majority of the impulses are transmitted to the thalamus which, in turn, projects the taste information to the primary gustatory cortex found in the insula. In addition, some fibers from the nucleus tractus solitary are also projected to the hypothalamus and amygdala, which are involved in certain unconscious mechanisms related to taste.

Learn more about the components, course and function of the taste pathway by watching the following video!

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Now that you've watched our video about the taste pathway, you might want to test what you just learned! We've created an interesting and smart quiz with all the structures that are involved in the taste pathway. Try it and see how much you know!

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Take a closer look at the components of the taste pathway in the gallery below.

Summary