Lecture 8: Taste Processing Flashcards
1
Q
What is higher taste processing?
A
pathways from tongue to brain
- several relay stations on the way to gustatory cortex
- taste cells synapse with afferent neurons in tongue
- geniculate ganglion
2
Q
What is T2R5?
A
T2R family member required for responses to cycloheximide
2
Q
What is T2R5?
A
T2R family member required for responses to cycloheximide
3
Q
What was found to be the least represented taste in geniculate ganglion?
A
umami
4
Q
What was found to be the most represented taste in geniculate ganglion?
A
salt
5
Q
What is ChR2?
A
has blue light-gated ion channels used in optogenetics
6
Q
Describe an example of target-specific optogenetic activation in the amygdala.
A
- neurons in bitter patch of GC injected with virus expressing ChR2
- blue light is targeted to amygdala – activates only the neurons that project from GC to amygdala, because they are the only neurons expressing ChR2
(blue light targeted to GC would activate all neurons in that area)
7
Q
What does NBQX do?
A
blocks AMPA receptors to effectively “silence” the region of injection
8
Q
What is a lick ratio?
A
measure of attractiveness or aversiveness of a taste
