Taste bud - wikipedia Taste bud Taste buds Taste buds are small structures present within the papillae of the tongue Details System Taste Identifiers Latin caliculus gustatererius MeSH D013650 NeuroLex ID birnlex_4101 TA A15. 4.00. 002 TH H3. 04.01. 0.02116, H3. 04.01. 0.03013 FMA 54825 Anatomical terms of microanatomy ( edit on Wikidata ) Taste buds contain the taste receptor cells, which are also known as gustatory cells. The taste receptors are located around the small structures known as papillae found on the upper surface of the tongue, soft palate, upper esophagus, the cheek and epiglottis. These structures are involved in detecting the five elements of taste perception : salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami ; through the combination of these elements we detect `` flavors. '' A popular myth assigns these different tastes to different regions of the tongue ; in reality these tastes can be detected by any area of the tongue. Via small openings in the tongue epithelium, called taste pores, parts of the food dissolved in saliva come into contact with the taste receptors. These are located on top of the taste receptor cells that constitute the taste buds. The taste receptor cells send information detected by clusters of various receptors and ion channels to the gustatory areas of the brain via the seventh, ninth and tenth cranial nerves. On average, the human tongue has 2,000 -- 8,000 taste buds. Contents 1 Types of papillae 2 See also 3 References 4 External links Types of papillae The taste buds on the tongue sit on raised protrusions of the tongue surface called papillae. There are three types of lingual papillae that contain taste buds present on the human tongue : Fungiform papillae - as the name suggests, these are slightly mushroom - shaped if looked at in longitudinal section. These are present mostly at the dorsal surface of the tongue, as well as at the sides. Innervated by facial nerve. Foliate papillae - these are ridges and grooves towards the posterior part of the tongue found at the lateral borders. Innervated by facial nerve ( anterior papillae ) and glossopharyngeal nerve ( posterior papillae ). Circumvallate papillae - there are only about 10 to 14 of these papillae on most people, and they are present at the back of the oral part of the tongue. They are arranged in a circular - shaped row just in front of the sulcus terminalis of the tongue. They are associated with ducts of Von Ebner 's glands, and are innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve. The fourth type of papillae the filiform papillae are the most numerous but do not contain taste buds. They are characterized by increased keratinisation and are involved in the mechanical aspect of providing abrasion. Salt, sweet, sour and umami tastes causes depolarization of the taste cells, although different mechanisms are applied. Bitter causes an internal release of Ca, no external Ca is required. The bud is formed by two kinds of cells : supporting cells and gustatory cells. The supporting ( sustentacular cells ) are mostly arranged like the staves of a cask, and form an outer envelope for the bud. Some, however, are found in the interior of the bud between the gustatory cells. The gustatory ( taste ) cells, a chemoreceptor, occupy the central portion of the bud ; they are spindle - shaped, and each possesses a large spherical nucleus near the middle of the cell. The peripheral end of the cell terminates at the gustatory pore in a fine hair filament, the gustatory hair. The central process passes toward the deep extremity of the bud, and there ends in single or bifurcated varicosities. The nerve fibrils after losing their medullary sheaths enter the taste bud, and end in fine extremities between the gustatory cells ; other nerve fibrils ramify between the supporting cells and terminate in fine extremities ; these, however, are believed to be nerves of ordinary sensation and not gustatory. The average life of a taste bud is 10 days. See also Tongue map References ^ Jump up to : Shier, David ( 2016 ). Hole 's Human Anatomy and Physiology. New York : McGraw - Hill Education. pp. 454 -- 455. ISBN 978 - 0 - 07 - 802429 - 0. Jump up ^ Discovery News, October 26, 2010 Jump up ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Jump up ^ Spacing patterns on tongue surface - gustatory papilla. ( 2004 ) Jung HS, Akita K, Kim JY. Int J Dev Biol. 48 ( 2 - 3 ) : 157 - 61. PMID 15272380 Jump up ^ mcq in anatomy by prof deepthi nanayakkara and prof malkanthi chandrasiri volume 1 head and neck 99th mcq Jump up ^ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/16843606/ External links Taste Perception : Cracking the Code Scientists Explore the Workings of Taste Buds from National Public Radio 's Talk of the Nation, July 22, 2005 http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/taste_buds.html For kids about taste buds ! http://www.newser.com/story/103744/your-lungs-have-their-own-taste-buds.html Anatomy of taste Tongue Taste bud Lingual papilla Vallate papilla Foliate papilla Fungiform papilla Filiform papilla Path medulla Solitary tract VII IX X Solitary nucleus Gustatory nucleus pons Central tegmental tract Medial parabrachial nucleus Hypothalamus Amygdala thalamus Ventral posteromedial nucleus cerebrum Posterior limb of internal capsule Gustatory cortex Other Basic tastes Nervous tissue CNS Tissue Types Grey matter White matter Projection fibers Association fiber Commissural fiber Lemniscus Funiculus Fasciculus Nerve tract Decussation Commissure Neuropil Meninges Cell Types Neuronal Pyramidal Purkinje Granule Glial insulating : Myelination : Oligodendrocyte other Astrocyte Radial glial cell Ependymal cells Tanycyte Microglia PNS General Dorsal Root Ganglion Ramus Ventral Root Ramus Ramus communicans Gray White Autonomic ganglion ( Preganglionic nerve fibers Postganglionic nerve fibers ) Connective tissues Epineurium Perineurium Endoneurium Nerve fascicle Neuroglia Myelination : Schwann cell Neurilemma Myelin incisure Node of Ranvier Internodal segment Satellite glial cell Neurons / nerve fibers Parts Soma Axon hillock Axon Telodendron Axon terminals Axoplasm Axolemma Neurofibril / neurofilament Dendrite Nissl body Dendritic spine Apical dendrite / Basal dendrite Types Bipolar Unipolar Pseudounipolar Multipolar Interneuron Renshaw Afferent nerve fiber / Sensory neuron GSA GVA SSA SVA fibers Ia or Aα Ib or Golgi or Aα II or Aβ and Aγ III or Aδ or fast pain IV or C or slow pain Efferent nerve fiber / Motor neuron GSE GVE SVE Upper motor neuron Lower motor neuron α motorneuron β motorneuron γ motorneuron Termination Synapse Electrical synapse / Gap junction Chemical synapse Synaptic vesicle Active zone Postsynaptic density Autapse Ribbon synapse Neuromuscular junction Sensory receptors Meissner 's corpuscle Merkel nerve ending Pacinian corpuscle Ruffini ending Muscle spindle Free nerve ending Nociceptor Olfactory receptor neuron Photoreceptor cell Hair cell Taste bud Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taste_bud&oldid=843471581 '' Categories : Gustatory system Tongue Hidden categories : Pages with unresolved properties Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara Français Gaeilge 한국어 עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenščina کوردی Svenska ไทย 中文 14 more Edit links This page was last edited on 29 May 2018, at 10 : 51. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where are taste receptors located on the tongue
Answer: around the small structures known as papillae found on the upper surface of the tongue