Sensory Organs - The Tongue

Facts About The Tongue

-tongue is able to move in nearly every direction, expand, compress and display a fine degree of articulation

-tongue and its muscles are laterally symmetrical: a median septum divides the organ into two halves

- tongue is made up of two types of muscles: extrinsic and intrinsic

-genioglossus depresses the tongue and thrusts it out, the styloglossus raises and withdraws the tongue, palatoglossus raises its back,and the hyoglossus lowers the tongue's sides

-intrinsic muscles originate within the tongue and allow it to expand and contract, altering its shape and size

- intrinsic muscles (which include the longitudinalis superior, longitudinalis inferior, transversus linguae and verticalis linguae) are especially important for speech and deglutition or swallowing food

-double-layered membrane helps block microbes and pathogens from entering the digestive system and other body cavities that come into contact with the outside

-epithelial layer of the mucous membrane secretes mucus that helps moisten the mouth and food

- important function of the tongue is taste sensation, which is derived from taste receptors cells located in clusters within taste buds on the surface of the tongue

-humans there may be anywhere from 50 to 150 taste receptors cells within an individual taste bud. Taste buds are innervated by nerves that respond to chemicals from food in solution, thereby providing the sensation of taste

-five fundamental taste sensations: salty, sweet, sour (acid), bitter, and umami, which represents the taste of amino acids

-disorders to which the tongue is subject are cancer, leukplakia(white patches), fungus infection, congenital defects, and a variety of symptoms caused by disease elsewhere in the body

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