The cranial nerves and their functions

A patient suffers a brain injury and subsequently reports that while they can still detect basic sensations on their tongue, the perception and identification of flavors are severely impaired. An initial examination confirms that the taste receptor cells on the tongue and the nerves leading from the tongue are undamaged. The injury is suspected to be in a central brain structure that acts as a primary relay station for most sensory information before it reaches the cortex. Based on the typical pathway for taste signals, which structure is most likely damaged?

After a taste signal is generated by receptor cells on the tongue and travels through cranial nerves, it is processed by several brain regions. Arrange the following brain structures in the correct order to show the path the taste signal travels to be consciously perceived.