[Bilateral gustatory disturbance associated with left putaminal hemorrhage].

We reported a 39-year-old, left-handed man with sudden onset hypogeusia. Taste threshold examined by a filter-paper disc method was elevated remarkably on both sides of the tongue. Additionally, the patient showed mild right central facial nerve palsy and mild weakness in the right upper limb. Brain CT showed left putaminal hemorrhage. Brain MRI demonstrated a hemorrhage in the left putamen and edema affecting the insular cortex. In this case, the gustatory information from both sides of the tongue, regardless of whether the nerves cross in a brainstem, is suggested to project to the left insular cortex before ascending to the higher order taste and language areas.