Gustatory nucleus

[4] All visceral afferents in the vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves first arrive in the nucleus of the solitary tract and information from the gustatory system can then be relayed to the thalamus and cortex.

Each nucleus from the gustatory system can contain networks of interconnected neurons that can help regulate the firing rates of one another.

[6] Fishes (specifically channel catfish), have been used to study the structure, mechanism for activation and its integrated with the solitary nucleus.

[7] Furthermore, the gustatory nucleus is connected via the pons to the thalamocortical system consisting of the hypothalamus and the amygdala.

[3] The tongue contains taste receptors, that sends sensory information via action potential to the solitary nucleus.

Instead, individual gustatory nuclei processing information is influenced by separate taste bud populations.

[15] Numerous studies have investigated the connection between the gustatory nucleus and obesity; an increase in visceral fat is negatively correlated with taste function.

Results of the study showed that rats with diet induced obesity produce a more prevalent response to taste in the gustatory nucleus of the NTS as well as a weakened association between taste responses and ingestive behavior compared to lean rats.

These electrophysiological recordings create a connection between the gustatory nucleus and obesity as exposure to a high energy diet can alter how taste is encoded by the nervous system.

Location of structures connected to the gustatory nucleus
Basic neuroanatomy of the gustatory system.
Different taste receptors in the tongue and their connections to afferent neurons.
Three of the twelve cranial nerves send input to the Gustatory nucleus: the facial nerve (VII), the glossopharyngeal nerve (IX), and the vagus nerve (X).