Brain's Control of Chewing

Chewing is mainly controlled by the brainstem that controls many automatic activities such as breathing and swallowing and also influenced by signalling that comes from higher brain regions, including the cortical masticatory area (CMA), which can be split into the front (anterior) and back (posterior) parts. In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) discover young rats eating soft foods received different sensory inputs controlling muscle and electrical activity of the jaw by stimulating specific chewing-related brain region.

In response to anterior CMA stimulation by electrodes rats in the soft diet group had altered movement and electrical activity in the jaw muscles compared with the regular diet group.

"Our findings suggest that the anterior CMA strongly influences the regulation of chewing, and is affected by sensory inputs during development. As such, reduced chewing function during growth should be corrected as soon as possible to avoid any potential adverse effects on jaw muscle development and chewing ability," says Ono.

The results of this study suggest that the brain’s control of chewing may be influenced by simply increasing chewing difficulty.

Chewing is important for obtaining nutrients so this study will be vital for monitoring and improving chewing ability in young children with chewing difficulties, as well as in adults after trauma or disease.

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Source-Medindia