Gustatory Modality (Noun)
Meaning
The faculty of distinguishing sweet, sour, bitter, and salty properties in the mouth; "his cold deprived him of his sense of taste".
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Examples
- The gustatory modality is mediated by taste buds on the tongue and elsewhere in the mouth.
- Damage to the gustatory modality can result in a loss of appetite and weight loss.
- The gustatory modality is closely linked to the sense of smell, as the two senses work together to create the sensation of flavor.
- The gustatory modality is responsible for detecting the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami.
- In some cases, a person's gustatory modality can be affected by certain medications or medical conditions.