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[Progress in the effects of injury and regeneration of gustatory nerves on the taste functions in animals.] [Article in Chinese]

FAN Yuan-Yuan, YU Dong-Ming, SHI Yu-Juan, YAN Jian-Qun, JIANG En-She

Department of Pathology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China； Institute of Public Hygiene, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China

Abstract

The sensor of the taste is the taste bud. The signals originated from the taste buds are transmitted to the central nervous system through the gustatory taste nerves. The chorda tympani nerve (innervating the taste buds of the anterior tongue) and glossopharyngeal nerve (innervating the taste buds of the posterior tongue) are the two primary gustatory nerves. The injuries of gustatory nerves cause their innervating taste buds atrophy, degenerate and disappear. The related taste function is also impaired. The impaired taste function can be restored after the gustatory nerves regeneration. The rat model of cross-regeneration of gustatory nerves is an important platform for research in the plasticity of the central nervous system. The animal behavioral responses and the electrophysiological properties of the gustatory nerves have changed a lot after the cross-regeneration of the gustatory nerves. The effects of the injury, regeneration and cross-regeneration of the gustatory nerves on the taste function in the animals will be discussed in this review. The prospective studies on the animal model of cross-regeneration of gustatory nerves are also discussed in this review. The study on the injury, regeneration and cross-regeneration of the gustatory nerves not only benefits the understanding of mechanism for neural plasticity in gustatory nervous system, but also will provide theoretical basis and new ideas for seeking methods and techniques to cure dysgeusia.

Key words: Taste; nerve injury; regeneration; cross-regeneration

Received: 2014-03-03　　Accepted: 2014-04-11

Corresponding author: 闫剑群,蒋恩社　　E-mail: esjiang@gmail.com, jpyan@xjtu.edu.cn

Citing This Article：

FAN Yuan-Yuan, YU Dong-Ming, SHI Yu-Juan, YAN Jian-Qun, JIANG En-She. [Progress in the effects of injury and regeneration of gustatory nerves on the taste functions in animals.] [Article in Chinese]. Acta Physiol Sin 2014; 66 (5): 519-527 (in Chinese with English abstract).