http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Human Biology
5.Umami, which is a meaty taste.When taste neurons sense chemicals, they send messages to the brain about them. The brain then decides what tastes
you are sensing.
Your sense of smell also involves sensory neurons that sense chemicals. The neurons are found in the nose, and they
detect chemicals in the air. Unlike taste neurons, which can detect only five different tastes, the sensory neurons
in the nose can detect thousands of different odors. Have you ever noticed that you lose your sense of taste when
your nose is stuffed up? That’s because your sense of smell greatly affects your ability to taste food. As you eat,
molecules of food chemicals enter your nose. You experience the taste and smell at the same time. Being able to
smell as well as taste food greatly increases the number of different tastes you are able to sense. For example, you
can use your sense of taste alone to learn that a food is sweet, but you have to use your sense of smell as well to learn
that the food tastes like strawberry cheesecake.
Vocabulary
- neuron: Nerve cell.
- taste bud: Tiny bump on the tongue that consists of bundles of neurons that detect chemicals.
- umami: Meaty taste.
Summary
- Sensory neurons on the tongue detect five types of tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
- Sensory neurons that sense chemicals in your nose allow you to detect smells.
Practice
Use the resources below to answer the questions that follow.
- The Olfactory Pathwayat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM7H0Wud_Y0 (0:30)
MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.- What is the function of the olfactory cortex?
- What stimulates the olfactory sensors in the nose?
- Taste Centersat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIXtM2u–H8 (1:12)
MEDIA
Click image to the left for more content.