Responsiveness of the cortical taste area neurons to a mixture of the four basci tastants in rats

摘要

The taste coding mechanismin the cortical taste area was investigated by analyzing the responses of 59 neurons in the cortical taste area of the anesthetized rat to a mixtue of the four basic tastants in both absence and presence of bicuculline methiodide,a specific antagonist to the GABA_A receptors.The mixture caused response suppression more frequently than response facilitation,both in the control state and during bicuculline application.Cluster analysis revealed that only a group of the neurons with the best response to both NaCl and HCl (group NH) showed the best response to the mixture in the control state,whereas during biduculline application,in addition to group NH,two other groups of neurons responding to sucrose,or to HCl and quinine esponded vigorously to the mixture.Multidimensional scaling located the mixture outside the space of the four basic tastants facing an NaCl-HCl line in both states.GABAergic inhibition caused the group NH to represent the taste of the mixture in the control state.Thus,the mixtue probably tastes salty and sour to rats.No cortical neuron was found which specifically responded to the mixture.