Findings that jaw-opening/-closing relies on both mandibular and head movements suggest that jaw and neck muscles are jointly activated in jaw function. This study tested the hypothesis that rhythmic jaw activities involve an active repositioning of the head, and that head fixation can impair jaw function. Concomitant mandibular and head-neck movements were recorded during rhythmic jaw activities in 12 healthy adults, with and without fixation of the head. In four participants, the movement recording was combined with simultaneous registration of myoelectric activity in jaw and neck muscles. The results showed neck muscle activity during jaw opening with and without head fixation. Notably, head fixation led to reduced mandibular movements and shorter duration of jaw-opening/-closing cycles. The findings suggest recruitment of neck muscles in jaw activities, and that head fixation can impair jaw function. The results underline the jaw and neck neuromuscular relationship in jaw function.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abrahams VC, Richmond FJ -1977-. Motor role of the spinal projections of the trigeminal system. In: Pain in the trigeminal region. Anderson DJ, Mathews B, editors. Amsterdam: Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press, pp. 405–411.
2.
Abrahams VC, Kori AA, Loeb GE, Richmond FJ, Rose PK, Keirstead SA -1993-. Facial input to neck motoneurons: trigemino-cervical reflexes in the conscious and anaesthetised cat. Exp Brain Res97:23–30.
3.
Alstermark B, Pinter MJ, Sasaki S, Tantisira B -1992-. Trigeminal excitation of dorsal neck motoneurones in the cat. Exp Brain Res92:183–193.
4.
Eriksson PO, Stålberg E, Antoni L -1984-. Flexibility in motor-unit firing pattern in the human temporal and masseter muscles related to type of activation and location. Arch Oral Biol29:707–712.
5.
Eriksson PO, Zafar H, Nordh E -1998-. Concomitant mandibular and head-neck movements during jaw opening-closing in man. J Oral Rehabil25:859–870.
6.
Eriksson PO, Häggman-Henrikson B, Nordh E, Zafar H -2000-. Coordinated mandibular and head-neck movements during rhythmic jaw activities in man. J Dent Res79:1378–1384.
7.
Eriksson PO, Zafar H, Häggman-Henrikson B -2004-. Deranged jaw-neck motor control in whiplash-associated disorders. Eur J Oral Sci112:25–32.
8.
Häggman-Henrikson B, Eriksson PO -2004-. Head movements during chewing: relation to size and texture of bolus. J Dent Res83:864–868.
9.
Häggman-Henrikson B, Eriksson PO, Nordh E, Zafar H -1998-. Evaluation of skin- versus teeth-attached markers in wireless optoelectronic recordings of chewing movements in man. J Oral Rehabil25:527–534.
10.
Häggman-Henrikson B, Zafar H, Eriksson PO -2002-. Disturbed jaw behavior in whiplash-associated disorders during rhythmic jaw movements. J Dent Res81:747–751.
11.
Häggman-Henrikson B, Österlund C, Eriksson PO -2004-. Endurance during chewing in whiplash-associated disorders and TMD. J Dent Res83:946–950.
12.
Igarashi N, Yamamura K, Yamada Y, Kohno S -2000-. Head movements and neck muscle activities associated with the jaw movement during mastication in the rabbit authors. Brain Res871:151–155.
13.
Josefsson T, Nordh E, Eriksson P-O -1996-. A flexible high-precision video system for digital recording of motor acts through lightweight reflex markers. Comput Methods Programs Biomed49:119–129.
14.
Kazazoglu E, Heath MR, Ferman AM, Davis GR -1994-. Recording mandibular movement: technical and clinical limitations of the Sirognathograph. J Orofac Pain8:165–177.
15.
Komiyama O, Arai M, Kawara M, Kobayashi K, De Laat A -2005-. Pain patterns and mandibular dysfunction following experimental trapezius muscle pain. J Orofac Pain19:119–126.
16.
Lund JP -1991-. Mastication and its control by the brain stem. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med2:33–64.
17.
Lund JP, Kolta A, Westberg KG, Scott G -1998-. Brainstem mechanisms underlying feeding behaviors. Curr Opin Neurobiol8:718–724.
18.
Møller E -1966-. The chewing apparatus. An electromyographic study of the action of the muscles of mastication and its correlation to facial morphology. Acta Physiol Scand Suppl280:1–229.
19.
Morimoto T, Inoue T, Kawamura Y, Yamada K -1984-. A He-Ne laser position-detector for recording jaw movements: principle of operation and application in animal experiments. J Neurosci Methods11:193–198.
20.
Nakamura Y, Katakura N -1995-. Generation of masticatory rhythm in the brainstem. Neurosci Res23:1–19.
21.
Onozuka M, Fujita M, Watanabe K, Hirano Y, Niwa M, Nishiyama K, et al. -2002-. Mapping brain region activity during chewing: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. J Dent Res81:743–746.
22.
Sepulveda W, Mangiamarchi M -1995-. Fetal yawning. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol5:57–59.
23.
Stålberg E, Eriksson PO -1987-. A scanning electromyographic study of the topography of human masseter single motor units. Arch Oral Biol32:793–797.
24.
Svensson P, Wang K, Arendt-Nielsen L, Cairns BE, Sessle BJ -2005-. Pain effects of glutamate injections into human jaw or neck muscles. J Orofac Pain19:109–118.
25.
Wood GD -1979-. Recording the opening and closing cycle of the mandible. Br Dent J146:305–309.
26.
Zafar H, Eriksson PO, Nordh E, Häggman-Henrikson B -2000a-. Wireless optoelectronic recordings of mandibular and associated head-neck movements in man: a methodological study. J Oral Rehabil27:227–238.
27.
Zafar H, Nordh E, Eriksson PO -2000b-. Temporal coordination between mandibular and head-neck movements during jaw opening-closing tasks in man. Arch Oral Biol45:675–682.
28.
Zafar H, Nordh E, Eriksson PO -2002-. Spatiotemporal consistency of human mandibular and head-neck movement trajectories during jaw opening-closing tasks. Exp Brain Res146:70–76.
29.
Zeredo J, Toda K, Soma K -2002-. Neck motor unit activities induced by inputs from periodontal mechanoreceptors in rats. J Dent Res81:39–42.
30.
Zeredo J, Toda K, Soma K -2003-. Nature of neck motor unit activities evoked by different trigeminal inputs in rats. J Dent Res82:402–405.
