Chewing augments stress-induced increase of pERK-immunoreactive cells in the rat cingulate cortex.

The eff ;ects of chewing during restraint stress on the anterior, mid- and posterior cingulate cortices were investigated in rats using immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (pERK1/2), a marker of responding cells. The rats were divided into three groups: control (no immobilization), stress-only (immobilized), and stress-with-chewing (immobilized and allowed to chew a wooden stick). Significant increases in the number of pERK1/2-immunoreactive cells in the anterior, mid- and posterior cingulate cortices were noted in the stress-only group when compared with the control group (p < 0.

Chewing ameliorates the effects of restraint stress on pERK-immunoreactive neurons in the rat insular cortex.

We investigated the effects of chewing on the anterior and posterior insular cortices during restraint stress using phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) levels as a marker of neuronal responses. The stress only group demonstrated increased numbers of pERK-immunoreactive cells in both the anterior and posterior insular cortices compared to the control group (p < 0.01).