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taste bud; caliculus gustatorius; Schwalbe corpuscle; gustatory bud

One of many flask-shaped nests of cells in the oropharyngeal epithelium. Distribution: Taste buds may be found in the: 1) papillae of the tongue a) vallate b) fungiform c) foliate 2) soft palate 3) epiglottis 4) posterior wall of the pharynx Structure: - taste buds consist of sustentacular, gustatory & basal cells between which intragemmal sensory fibers terminate Afferents: - taste buds have both gustatory & somatosensory afferent innervation Function: - most taste cells may be activated by a limited number of bitter compounds, individual taste cells can discriminate among bitter stimuli

Related

dysgeusia (taste disorder) gustatory taste taste receptor

General

organ

References

  1. Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999
  2. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed. Fauci et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1998, pg 173-74

Component-of

epiglottis pharynx soft palate tongue