Maturation of brainstem reflex mechanisms in relation to the transition from liquid to solid food ingestion.
Reflex activity was induced in the digastric and other submandibular muscles of pre-weaning rats, rabbits, cats and guinea pigs by electrical stimulation of the mouth. At birth, rats, cats and rabbits had long-latency reflexes which shortened with maturation. In the rat and rabbit, adult values are reached a day or so before they are known to ingest solid food. Only the guinea pig, which eats solids on day 1, had the adult latency at birth. The time course of the latency reduction in the rabbit appeared to have two phases. The first phase was rapid (1-2 days) and appeared to be largely of central origin. The second phase was slower and lasted for about 2 weeks.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001931:Brain Mapping; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D002415:Cats; D004326:Drinking; D004435:Eating; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000294:innervation; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity