Synaptic encoding of gustatory information
Olga Barba-Vila, Mathilde Tortochot-Megne, Andrea Mastio, Arielle Rakotonandrasana, Mario Carta · FENS Forum 2024
The primary function of the sensory cortex is to analyze incoming stimuli from the periphery, distinguishing and interpreting them to guide behavior. Among sensory stimuli, gustatory information enables animals to analyze the food identity and recognize the nutrition and hedonic values (e.g., palatable as sucrose, versus aversive as citric acid) to avoid poisons and regulate feeding behaviors, making it crucial for survival. Despite the importance of gustatory processing, our knowledge of the underlying neuronal circuits and their activity remains remarkably incomplete, especially compared to