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URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/anatomyvideos/000148.htm

Tasting

What's this?Play health video with audio description: //medlineplus.gov/ency/videos/mov/24511_eng_ad.mp4

Overview

The tongue has about 10,000 taste buds. The taste buds are linked to the brain by nerve fibers. Food particles are detected by the taste buds, which send nerve signals to the brain.

Review Date 7/15/2024

Updated by: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.