Devoted exclusively by gustatory processing, The Role of the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract in Gustatory Processing offers an in-depth review of one of the most important central relay stations in the brain.

Combining widely dispersed research into a single comprehensive volume, it presents a thorough historical background, documents the anatomy of the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNST), and explores the properties of synaptic transmitters and neurons within that tract. The book examines the role of reflex activities and considers factors that influence how gustatory rNST neurons respond to taste stimuli. It describes the development and maturational changes the rNST undergoes and considers the challenge involved with identifying rNST neural circuits

The Role of the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract in Gustatory Processing serves as a standard reference for those involved in the field, providing ready access to past investigations and inviting practitioners to create new approaches that will advance knowledge about the central processing of gustatory information.

Contents

• Series Preface
• Preface
• Editor
• List of Contributors
• 1. Historical Perspectives
  Robert M. Bradley.
  • 1.1 BASIC NEUROANATOMY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE AFFERENT INPUT TO THE NUCLEUS OF THE SOLITARY TRACT
  • 1.2 DISCOVERY OF THE SOLITARY TRACT
  • 1.3 DISCOVERY OF THE AFFERENT SENSORY CONTRIBUTION TO THE SOLITARY TRACT
  • 1.4 EARLY DESCRIPTIONS OF THE NUCLEUS OF THE SOLITARY TRACT
  • 1.5 FIRST ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ROSTRAL NUCLEUS OF THE SOLITARY TRACT
  • 1.6 SUMMARY
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Anatomy of the Rostral Nucleus of the Solitary Tract
  Michael S. King.
  • 2.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 2.2 HISTOLOGY OF THE rNST
  • 2.3 CONNECTIONS OF THE rNST
  • 2.4 FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY OF THE rNST
  • 2.5 SUMMARY
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Neurotransmitters and Receptors Expressed by rNST Neurons
  Robert M. Bradley and Michael S. King.
  • 3.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 3.2 NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN THE AFFERENT TASTE PATHWAY
  • 3.3 SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION IN rNST
  • 3.4 OTHER NEUROTRANSMITTERS INVOLVED IN SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION IN rNST
  • 3.5 FUTURE DIRECTIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Reflex Connections
  Robert M. Bradley and Miwon Kim.
  • 4.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 4.2 NEUROMUSCULAR-RELATED REFLEX ACTIVITY
  • 4.3 GUSTO-SALIVARY REFLEX ACTIVITY
  • 4.4 FUTURE DIRECTIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Neural Coding in the rNST
  David V. Smith and Christian H. Lemon.
  • 5.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 5.2 TASTE RESPONSES OF rNST NEURONS
  • 5.3 CATEGORIZING GUSTATORY NEURONS IN THE rNST
  • 5.4 MODULATION OF ACTIVITY IN THE rNST
  • 5.5 THEORIES OF TASTE QUALITY CODING
  • 5.6 TASTE CODING IN THE rNST
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Development and Plasticity of the Gustatory Portion of Nucleus of the Solitary Tract
  David L. Hill and Olivia L. May.
  • 6.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 6.2 EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF AFFERENT INPUTS INTO THE NST
  • 6.3 EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE NST
  • 6.4 POSTNATAL DEVELOPMENT OF TERMINAL FIELDS IN THE NST
  • 6.5 MORPHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF NEURONS IN THE NST
  • 6.6 FUNCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF NEURONS IN THE NST
  • 6.7 DEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY IN THE GUSTATORY NST
  • 6.8 SUMMARY AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. rNST Circuits
  Robert M. Bradley.
  • 7.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 7.2 KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM EXTRACELLULAR RECORDINGS FROM RNST NEURONS
  • 7.3 KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM INTRACELLULAR RECORDINGS FROM rNST NEURONS
  • 7.4 POSSIBLE CIRCUITS
  • 7.5 OUTLOOK FOR FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS
  • REFERENCES

Series editors: Sidney A Simon and Miguel AL Nicolelis

This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reprinted material is quoted with permission, and sources are indicated. A wide variety of references are listed. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use.