6 Integration of sensory signals in the brain

Sensory neuroscience explores the neurobiology of the sensory system. In this field, the anatomy and physiology of neurons in all sensory systems are investigated. In food perception, all these sensory systems, the visual system, the auditory system, the somatosensory system, the olfactory system and the gustatory system play a role.

In general, the presence of a (food) stimulus triggers electrochemical responses in the nervous system, which changes the membrane potential of a sensory neuron, triggering an action potential. The information is then transmitted from the sensory organ to the spinal cord, and then to the brain.

The different types of sensory information travel in different paths through the central nervous system. Most are transmitted to the thalamus, from which sensory information (modalities) is sent to the areas of the cerebral cortex dedicated to the specific modalities. These are, for example, the primary visual cortex or the primary auditory cortex for, respectively, information from your eyes and ears. These areas then send information to the association cortex, where sensory information is integrated with other types of information. Ultimately, the neural processing that occurs throughout these pathways and networks allows for accurate perception of sensory stimuli—such as the identity and location of objects in the visual world, or the understanding of speech.

Brain structures

Neurobiology of the smell and taste senses occurs mostly in the brain. Here, the signals are transported and linked to information coming from other senses and our memory to enable us to judge the sensory information we have taken up. In the image below, you can see the brain structures that are most important for sensory evaluation. When you click on this link, you can play around with a 3D-model of the brain parts related to the sensory system.