title: Altered neural activation pattern during teeth clenching in temporomandibular disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to explore the neural activations during teeth clenching in TMDs patients pre- and post-treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty TMDs patients and 20 controls underwent clinical evaluations and functional magnetic resonance imaging with a teeth clenching task. Eleven patients received repeat evaluation and imaging after wearing a stabilization splint for 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During teeth clench, the TMDs patients showed decreased positive activity in the left precentral gyrus, right and left inferior temporal gyrus, and left cerebellum and increased negative activations in the right medial prefrontal cortex (P < 0.05 after AlphaSim correction). The 11 TMDs patients after treatment showed a return to normal neural activity in these areas. No brain areas in TMDs patients showed differences in activation after treatment compared with the controls, except for an increase in activation in the right cerebellum in the 11 TMDs patients (P < 0.05 after AlphaSim correction).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreased activations in cerebral areas associated with motor and cognitive functions in TMDs patients during teeth clenching were observed. Normalized activations of these areas happened in patients after routine treatment. These findings may facilitate the understanding of TMDs pathogenesis and the therapeutic mechanisms of the stabilization splint.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, State Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, State Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, State Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, State Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: X Q
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Q Y
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, State Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001732:Bite Force; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007568:Jaw / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: default mode network; functional magnetic resonance imaging; stabilization splints; teeth clenching; temporomandibular disorders