Scott T R, Giza B K
Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark 19716.
Science. 1990 Sep 28;249(4976):1585-7. doi: 10.1126/science.2171145.
Basic taste qualities are thought to be perceived independently, yet discrete neural coding channels have not been demonstrated in the central nervous system. The response profiles of taste cells in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) of the rat were categorized into four groups, and the effects of amiloride, a passive sodium channel blocker, on each were determined. NTS neurons that responded specifically to sodium chloride (NaCl) or to NaCl and sugars were suppressed by amiloride; those broadly sensitive to salts, acids, and bitter stimuli were unaffected. Moreover, the response profile evoked by NaCl lost its distinctiveness after treatment with amiloride, becoming similar to those evoked by acids and quinine. Receptors that respond to sodium must relay their information through independent coding channels to identifiable subgroups of NTS neurons, the activity of which is responsible for the perception of saltiness.
基本味觉品质被认为是独立被感知的，但在中枢神经系统中尚未证实存在离散的神经编码通道。将大鼠孤束核（NTS）中味觉细胞的反应谱分为四组，并确定了被动钠通道阻滞剂amiloride对每组的影响。对氯化钠（NaCl）或对NaCl和糖类有特异性反应的NTS神经元被amiloride抑制；对盐类、酸类和苦味刺激具有广泛敏感性的神经元则不受影响。此外，用amiloride处理后，由NaCl诱发的反应谱失去了其独特性，变得类似于由酸类和奎宁诱发的反应谱。对钠有反应的受体必须通过独立的编码通道将其信息传递给NTS神经元的可识别亚组，这些神经元的活动负责咸味的感知。
