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Updated: Sep 19, 2026
An In Vitro Preparation for Eliciting and Recording Feeding Motor Programs with Physiological Movements in Aplysia californica
Published on: December 5, 2012
Ontogeny of feeding motor patterns in infant rats: an electromyographic analysis of suckling and chewing
1Department of Zoology, Duke University.
Insights
Suckling and chewing share some muscle activity patterns, suggesting a neuromuscular link. However, distinct electromyogram (EMG) features indicate that suckling is not a direct precursor to chewing in rats.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Oral Motor Function
Background:
- Mammalian development involves a transition from suckling to chewing.
- The relationship between suckling and chewing neuromuscularly is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if suckling is a neuromuscular precursor to chewing or if they are independent systems.
- To analyze the electromyogram (EMG) patterns of key muscles during suckling and chewing in developing rats.
Main Methods:
- Electromyograms (EMGs) were recorded from rat pups at various developmental ages (6-21 days).
- EMGs were collected from superficial masseter, anterior digastric, sternohyoideus, and genioglossus muscles.
- Muscle activity was analyzed during both suckling and chewing behaviors.
Main Results:
- Suckling behavior comprises distinct components (nipple attachment, rhythmic sucking, stretch response) with unique EMG patterns.
- Chewing-related EMGs were observed by 12 days of age, maturing to adult patterns by 18-21 days.
- Nipple attachment showed some similarities to adult chewing motor patterns, but other suckling aspects differed.
Conclusions:
- Suckling and chewing exhibit both shared and distinct electromyographic features during development.
- While some neuromuscular continuity exists, suckling is not a direct precursor to chewing.
- These findings clarify the developmental relationship between suckling and chewing in mammals.
Abstract:
During mammalian ontogeny, there is a transition from suckling to the chewing of food. The question was asked: Is suckling a neuromuscular precursor to chewing, or are suckling and chewing independent systems? Electromyograms (EMGs) were recorded in rat pups of ages 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 days from the superficial masseter, anterior digastric, sternohyoideus, and genioglossus muscles during suckling and chewing. The EMG patterns of the 3 components of suckling behavior (nipple attachment, rhythmic sucking and the stretch response) are distinctive from one another and reflect the musculoskeletal biomechanics of suckling. Chewing EMGs are present by 12 days of age and attain the adult pattern by 18-21 days of age. During nipple attachment, pups exhibit a motor pattern that is similar to that of adult chewing, but other aspects of suckling differ from chewing in some EMG features. Comparison of EMGs between behaviors and between ages allowed interpretation of the degree of contunity of muscular activity across the suckling-to-chewing transition.
