Gustatory System

The receptors for gustation are located in the oral cavity, which brings food and fluids from outside the body into the gastrointestinal tract. Taste buds work in concert with oral thermal and tactile receptors to evaluate these substances. As with many external stimuli, humans can describe both the quality and intensity of sapid chemicals with considerable accuracy. As with many internal stimuli, humans also describe tastes in affective terms; they are either pleasant or aversive. Thus, on a number of dimensions, the gustatory system spans the exteroceptive and interoceptive sensory domains. The focus of this chapter is on the organization of the gustatory system within the rodent brain.