ABSTRACT
The aims of this chapter are to describe the anatomy and physiology of the central taste system, with reference to the rodent and to the primate to make the findings relevant to taste processing and its disorders in humans. Neuroimaging studies in humans are also described. We also address the convergence of gustatory input with olfactory, somatosensory, and visual afferents, and how the central representation of the sensory properties of food is made relevant to the control of the appetite for a food and food intake. Much of the research in rodents has been carried out at subcortical levels, whereas in primates more research has been carried out on the cortical processing of taste. The evidence suggests that not only the central connections, but also the principles of processing in the taste pathways, may be different in rodents and primates.
