On the Relation between the Chorda Tympani Nerve Response, Arterial Oxygen Tension and Blood Flow in the Tongue of the Rat

The summated chorda tympani respotise of the rat to taste stimtilation was recorded while, (a) the rat was artificially ventilated with hypoxic mixtures of oxygen‐nitrogen, (b) the blood flow through the ipsilateral coninion carotid artery and the intra arterinal tension were measured and (c) the tongue was pelfusrd with blood from one femoral artery The technique applied in (a) indicated that the animal was able to maintain its taste sensitivity until circulation collapsed. the methods of (b) showed tliat a decrease of taste response could be recorded even if the blood oxygen tension rose when the blood flow to the tongue dimmished. The results of (c) demonstrated that the taste response could be increasrd, maintained and decreased by changes of the blood flow to the tongue.