In conclusion, we have described responsivity to water in two brainstem nuclei, the NTS and PbN, in the anesthetized rat. A novel finding of the current study is the observation of water best neurons and water specialist cells in both NTS and PbN. Importantly, these data underscore the literature showing that water is processed by cells in gustatory nuclei. This implies that water evokes a gustatory sensation that is supported by an independent neural representation, different from that of other taste qualities.