title: Masticatory function and maturation of the jaw-opening reflex.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the null hypothesis that alteration in masticatory function due to liquid-diet feeding during growth does not affect jaw-opening reflex (JOR) maturation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Soon after weaning, 70 female Wistar rats were divided into two equal groups and fed either solid (control group) or liquid (experimental group) diets. At 5, 9, and 13 weeks, the rats were anesthetized and the JOR was recorded in the anterior belly of the digastric muscles as evoked by a low-intensity electrical stimulation of the left inferior alveolar nerve.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were similar tendencies at each recording age. Peak-to-peak amplitude of the JOR was significantly smaller, and the latency was significantly longer in the experimental group, although the duration was not significantly different between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that long-term masticatory functional change due to liquid-diet feeding during growth may impede the learning for JOR maturation, and thus may affect the masticatory performance in the adult.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orofacial Development and Function, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. chidorts@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Chidsanu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Changsiripun
authors.forename: Tadachika
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yabushita
authors.forename: Kunimichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004576:Electromyography / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated; D008334:Mandible / Q000502:physiology*; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D012021:Reflex, Abnormal / Q000502:physiology; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013997:Time Factors