Question

The sense of taste is considered to be the most pleasurable of all senses.

Describe the structure of the receptor involved with a diagram.

Answer 1

Gustatory receptor: The sense of taste is considered to be the most pleasurable of all senses. The tongue is provided with many small projections called papillae which give the tongue an abrasive feel. Taste buds are located mainly on the papillae which are scattered over the entire tongue surface.

Most taste buds are seen on the tongue few are scattered on the soft palate, the inner surface of the cheeks, pharynx, and epiglottis of the larynx. Taste buds are flask-shaped and consist of 50 – 100 epithelial cells of two major types.

Gustatory epithelial cells (taste cells) and Basal epithelial cells (Repairing cells). Long microvilli called gustatory hairs project from the tip of the gustatory cells and extend through a taste pore to the surface of the epithelium where they are bathed by saliva.

Gustatory hairs are the sensitive portion of the gustatory cells and they have sensory dendrites which send the signal to the brain. The basal cells that act as stem cells, divide and differentiate into new gustatory cells.