"How taste information travels from the tongue to the brain"

The sense of taste helps us identify essential nutrients and avoid danger in what we eat. Sweet signals presence of energy-rich carbohydrates, umami (the Japanese word for savory) indicates amino acids from proteins, and salty detects sodium. In contrast, bitter tastes often arise from compounds found in toxic plants, while sour can signal spoiled foods or unripe fruit.
 
Taste begins in taste buds -- the tiny bumps on the tongue. A taste bud contains dozens of taste receptor cells, and each cell is specialized to detect a single taste quality. Signals from these cells are then transmitted through taste nerves to the brain. 

We are studying how genes, cells, and circuits underlying taste sensation are organized.