Intro | Facial Nerve | Glossopharyngeal Nerve | Gustatory Nucleus | Papilla | Primary Gustatory Cortex | Secondary Gustatory Cortex | Taste Buds | Tongue | Vagus Nerve | Ventral Posterior Nucleus
Part 1: Image-Mapped Tutorial
Part 2: Matching Self-Test
Part 3: Multiple-Choice Self-Test
It has long been thought that the Tongue can be mapped according to the distribution of taste buds that respond to specific taste qualities. In this organization, the tip of the tongue shows greatest sensitivity to sweet and salty tastes. The back of the tongue along each side shows greatest sensitivity to sour tastes. The central portion of the back of the tongue, the larynx, the pharynx, and the palate show greatest sensitivity to bitter tastes. In the adult human, the majority of the taste buds are located along the outside edge of the tongue. Sensation from the center of the tongue is primarily somatosensory in nature and transmitted to the brain via the trigeminal nerve (CN V).