Emotional modulation of cortical activity during gum chewing: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Distinct brain regions are known to be associated with various emotional states. Cortical activity may be modulated by emotional states that are triggered by flavors during food intake. We examined cortical activity during chewing with different flavors and assessed the emotional modulation of cortical activity using multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy.

Flavor-Enhanced Modulation of Cerebral Blood Flow during Gum Chewing.

Background: Flavor perception, the integration of taste and odor, is a critical factor in eating behavior. It remains unclear how such sensory signals influence the human brain systems that execute the eating behavior.

Methods: WE TESTED CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW (CBF) IN THE FRONTAL LOBES BILATERALLY WHILE SUBJECTS CHEWED THREE TYPES OF GUM WITH DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF TASTE AND ODOR: no taste/no odor gum (C-gum), sweet taste/no odor gum (T-gum), and sweet taste/lemon odor gum (TO-gum).

Effects of unilateral jaw clenching on cerebral/systemic circulation and related autonomic nerve activity.

Jaw clenching (clenching) is the result of an isometric contraction of jaw closing muscles. Because of the location of working muscles and afferent information during tooth contact, the effect of clenching on the cerebral and systemic circulation might differ from that of isometric limb exercise. This study aimed to investigate the characteristic changes in cerebral and systemic circulation during jaw clenching by comparing those during handgrip exercise.

Influence of voluntary control of masticatory side and rhythm on cerebral hemodynamics.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence on cerebral hemodynamics of voluntary control of masticatory side and rhythm during gum chewing. Blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery was measured using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography to evaluate cerebral circulation in healthy volunteers. Heart rate and masseter muscle activity were recorded simultaneously.

Circulatory response and autonomic nervous activity during gum chewing.

Mastication has been proven to enhance the systemic circulation, with circulatory responses seeming to be largely regulated by autonomic nervous activity via a more complex regulatory system than those of other activities. However, few studies have examined the relationships between changes in autonomic nervous activity and the systemic circulation that are induced by masticatory movement. We investigated changes in the systemic circulation and autonomic nervous activity during gum chewing to clarify the influence of mastication.