In this video we discuss the structure of the tongue and the functions of the tongue. We also cover the different types of taste buds and the structure of taste buds. Transcript/notes The tongue is an important organ in the mouth, as it provides many important functions for your body. The tongue is comprised of skeletal muscle covered by a mucous membrane that helps to keep the tongue moist. The tongue has a root, a tip and a central body to its structure. The upper surface of the tongue is covered by small rough elevations called papillae. There are 4 types of papillae, fungiform, Circumvallate, Foliate, and Filiform. Fungiform papillae are mushroom shaped bumps that are found near the tip and sides of the tongue. Each of these contains only a few taste buds. Circumvallate papillae are large and dome shaped, and they are the least numbered papillae, usually between 10 to 12 on a tongue and together they form a v shape. Each of these is housed by a deep narrow depression and they contain thousands of taste buds. Foliate papillae have a leaflike shape and are found on the sides of the tongue, toward the root of the tongue. They house about a hundred or so taste buds. Filiform papillae are short and spiked and they are scattered among the fungiform papillae. These papillae do not house taste buds, as they help us detect food texture. Taste buds are located in the walls and grooves of papillae, and most adults have between 2000 and 4000 buds in total. They consist mainly of a taste pore, sensory cells, taste hairs and nerve fibers. A flavor enters the taste pore, the sensory cells analyze the flavor and send the information to the nerve fibers. The nerve fibers send the data to the brain, and we know the flavor that we are tasting. There are 5 main flavors, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory. On the bottom, or undersurface of the tongue is the lingual frenulum, which helps anchor the tongue to the floor of the mouth. The tongue has many important functions in the body, such as crushing food against the roof of the mouth and softening and manipulating food prior to swallowing. The tongue allows us to sense the taste of food and the texture of food. Our ability to move the tongue helps with speech, and it also plays an important role in physical intimacy. Timestamps 0:00 The structure of the tongue 0:26 Fungiform papillae 0:36 Circumvallate papillae 0:51 Foliate papillae 1:01 Filiform papillae 1:11 Taste buds 1:32 The functions of the tongue