Dentin NBDE & NBDHE ALERT! TONGUE MAP THEORY DEBUNKED
Ricky Rubin
ALL TASTE SENSATIONS (BITTER, SWEET, SOUR, SALTY, UMAMI) come from ALL TONGUE REGIONS AND ARE PERCEIVED EQUALLY WELL. Different tongue regions are NOT exclusively responsible for the different basic tastes (the “tongue map” misconception was disproven by various PhD researchers). While different tongue regions are slightly more sensitive to certain tastes initially, all tongue regions equally convey the various five tastes. For example, the sides of the tongue are only slightly more sensitive to all tastes than the middle of the tongue, and the posterior tongue is more sensitive to BITTER as a defense mechanism to protect us from swallowing spoiled or poisonous substances.
