Quantitative Anatomical Study of Taste Buds in Fungiform Papillae of Young and Old Fischer Rats

To determine if differences in neural taste responses relate to taste bud loss in old age, taste buds were counted in fungiform papillae of Fischer 344 rats aged 4 to 6 months, 20 to 24 months, and 30 to 37 months. Papillae anterior to the intermolar eminence on one half of the tongue were examined in serial sections. Presence or absence of a taste bud was noted and taste bud diameter was measured. Average percentages of papillae that contained a taste bud in the three groups were 99.6, 99.3, and 94.7%. This is a significant age-related difference but actual number of taste buds lost in the oldest rats was small. Taste bud diameter did not differ with age and general anatomical characteristics of buds were similar in all groups. Thus, anatomical observations on taste bud maintenance in rats over a wide age range, coupled with neurophysiological data, demonstrate that the integrity of the peripheral gustatory system is not altered greatly in old age.