LECT13.doc.docVIP

NEURAL BASIS OF MASTICATION Purposes of Mastication The form of masticatory movements is very species-dependent, consisting of cutting and tearing in some carnivores and crushing and grinding in herbivores. Mastication is entirely absent in some snakes and reptiles which engulf their food whole. We may consider that the process of mastication serves to mechanically disrupt the food, moisten it with saliva, and prepare the bolus for swallowing and further digestion. The masticatory sequence may be divided into three phases, as shown in the slide: Besides the familiar elevation and depression of the mandible seen during mastication, it will become clear that lateral and antero-posterior movements contribute strongly to the behavior. This complete pattern is known as the masticatory cycle. In addition, the jaw muscles are used for biting and tearing of food and other items. We may also make use of one hand, in coordination with the jaw muscles, to tear off a piece of meat or other resistant food object. (We do not usually shake our heads violently from side to side for this purpose, as do some animals.) As mentioned in Chapter 11, many of the jaw muscles are active at the same time during masticatory movements. A precise degree of control and coordination is required to grind or tear the food and form a bolus for swallowing. The oral reflexes come into play, to regulate the force of jaw closing and protect the soft tissues and teeth from accidental injury (Chapter 13). Recently, many studies have addressed the source of the masticatory rhythm, or alternating movements of the mandible during chewing. We shall examine the central neural basis of this pattern, after considering some pioneering studies on the subject. Chain Reflex Theory of Mastication In 1917, C.S. Sherrington investigated the jaw-opening and closing reflexes in the cat, and suggested that these reflexes constituted the basis of mastication: Biting on a piece of food initiated the jaw-opening refle