APA Dictionary of Psychology

the sequence of events involved in converting the detection of chemical molecules into taste signals. Gustatory stimuli interact with the microvillus of a taste cell, which results in changes in activity in the ion channels within taste receptors. The subsequent depolarization within these receptors triggers the release of neurotransmitters that stimulate sensory neurons in the peripheral nervous system (see greater superficial petrosal nerve). The mechanisms of transduction vary with the type of gustatory stimulus, although each taste cell is capable of transducing different stimuli. Also called gustatory transduction.