title: Laterality of proprioception in the orofacial muscles and temporomandibular joint.
abstract: Laterality of function in the orofacial musculature suggests there may be side-to-side asymmetry of proprioceptive acuity in lip movement compared to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). In the present work, 14 young adults were tested for acuity of lip and TMJ closure movements onto plugs varying from 5 to 8mm without visual feedback. Testing was conducted on both left and right sides, using the same psychophysical task and stimuli. Results showed superior proprioceptive acuity at the lips, with no significant side effect. However, there was side-to-side asymmetry in the correlations between proprioceptive performance for the two anatomical structures, with performance on the right side strongly correlated but not on the left. This is consistent with the need for coordination between structures during chewing. When acuity at different points in the stimulus range was examined, the right side lips were better with small stimuli. Overall, results support enhanced use-specific proprioception.
authors: University of Sydney, Faculty of Health Sciences Cumberland Campus, 75 East St., Lidcombe, Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia. Electronic address: ellie.frayne@sydney.edu.au.
authors: Ellie
authors: E
authors: Frayne
authors: University of Sydney, Faculty of Health Sciences Cumberland Campus, 75 East St., Lidcombe, Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia.
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Coulson
authors: University of Sydney, Faculty of Health Sciences Cumberland Campus, 75 East St., Lidcombe, Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia.
authors: Roger
authors: R
authors: Adams
authors: University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine, Central Clinical School, RPA Hospital, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
authors: Glen
authors: G
authors: Croxson
authors: University of Canberra, Building 12 D, University of Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.
authors: Gordon
authors: G
authors: Waddington
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007568:Jaw / Q000502:physiology; D008046:Lip / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D011434:Proprioception; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bell's palsy; Cerebral dominance; Face; Facial paralysis; Laterality; Proprioception