Circumvallate papilla and taste bud morphology following lingual nerve transection

Advisor Information

Suzanne Sollars

Location

Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library

Presentation Type

Poster

Start Date

6-3-2015 9:00 AM

End Date

6-3-2015 10:30 AM

Abstract

The sensory system of taste is important in determining the safety of substances before ingestion. Taste information from the posterior part of the tongue originates from taste buds in the circumvallate papillae area and is transmitted to the brain through the glossopharyngeal nerve. The front two-thirds of the tongue is covered in mushroom-shaped fungiform papillae. The chorda tympani nerve transmits taste information from taste buds in the fungiform papillae to the brain, while the lingual nerve transmits somatosensory (e.g. hot, cold, pain) information from the fungiform papillae tissue to the brain. When the lingual nerve is surgically transected in the rat, the taste buds become smaller, even though there is no synaptic contact between the lingual nerve and taste buds. This effect is most pronounced when the surgery is done in young rats, demonstrating an age-dependent cross-modal interaction. The present study examined the relationship between lingual nerve transection at various ages and its effect on circumvallate taste buds. Rats underwent either a lingual nerve transection or a sham surgery (control) at differing ages, and then tongue tissue was collected at various time points after surgery. The tissue was sectioned on a cryostat, stained, and microscopically analyzed to determine differences in taste bud size. Observed differences would indicate cross-modal communication between the lingual and glossopharyngeal nerves, suggesting that the neural communication network throughout the taste system extends beyond the nerves themselves.

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Mar 6th, 9:00 AM Mar 6th, 10:30 AM

Circumvallate papilla and taste bud morphology following lingual nerve transection

Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library

The sensory system of taste is important in determining the safety of substances before ingestion. Taste information from the posterior part of the tongue originates from taste buds in the circumvallate papillae area and is transmitted to the brain through the glossopharyngeal nerve. The front two-thirds of the tongue is covered in mushroom-shaped fungiform papillae. The chorda tympani nerve transmits taste information from taste buds in the fungiform papillae to the brain, while the lingual nerve transmits somatosensory (e.g. hot, cold, pain) information from the fungiform papillae tissue to the brain. When the lingual nerve is surgically transected in the rat, the taste buds become smaller, even though there is no synaptic contact between the lingual nerve and taste buds. This effect is most pronounced when the surgery is done in young rats, demonstrating an age-dependent cross-modal interaction. The present study examined the relationship between lingual nerve transection at various ages and its effect on circumvallate taste buds. Rats underwent either a lingual nerve transection or a sham surgery (control) at differing ages, and then tongue tissue was collected at various time points after surgery. The tissue was sectioned on a cryostat, stained, and microscopically analyzed to determine differences in taste bud size. Observed differences would indicate cross-modal communication between the lingual and glossopharyngeal nerves, suggesting that the neural communication network throughout the taste system extends beyond the nerves themselves.