Tongue

Image consists of a two separate images. Image on the left is a sketch of a tongue labelling the Foliate papillae, Circumvallate papillae, Fungiform papillae and Filiform papillae. Right side image shows a closeup view of the tongue with a centimeter representing approximately 100um.

Tongue taste areas The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of most vertebrates that manipulates food for mastication, and is used in the act of swallowing. It is of importance in the digestive system and is the primary organ of taste in the gustatory system. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered in taste buds housed in numerous lingual papillae. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels. The tongue also serves as a natural means of cleaning the teeth. A major function of the tongue is the enabling of speech in humans and vocalization in other animals. The human tongue is divided into two parts, an oral part at the front and a pharyngeal part at the back. The left and right sides are also separated along most of its length by a vertical section of fibrous tissue (the lingual septum) that results in a groove, the median sulcus on the tongue's surface. There are two groups of muscles of the tongue. The four intrinsic muscles alter the shape of the tongue and are not attached to bone. The four paired extrinsic muscles change the position of the tongue and are anchored to bone. Do you have good taste? In this video segment, Dr. Linda Bartoshuk explores the sense of taste in humans - why we have it, and what happens when we lose it. Learn why the sense of smell is also important to our experience of food. Footage from NOVA: "Mystery of the Senses: Taste".

(Source: OpenStax)

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Keywords:
anatomy, human, mouth, taste

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  • Tongue

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    Charles LaPierre

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