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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

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Occlusion and brain function: mastication as a prevention of cognitive dysfunction.

Y Ono¹, T Yamamoto, K-ya Kubo

¹Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Kanagawa Dental College, Yokosuka, Japan. yumie@kdcnet.ac.jp

Journal of Oral Rehabilitation

|March 19, 2010

Summary

Chewing (mastication) is vital for maintaining cognitive functions like memory. Reduced chewing is linked to dementia, while active chewing enhances brain activity and reduces stress responses.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Gerontology

Background:

Mastication is crucial for cognitive function, particularly in the hippocampus, which is vital for learning and memory.
Reduced mastication is an epidemiological risk factor for dementia, impairing spatial memory and causing hippocampal neuron deterioration, especially in aged animals.

Purpose of the Study:

To review research on how mastication improves cognitive function deficits.
To explore the potential relationship between mastication, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and neuronal mechanisms in the hippocampus.

Main Methods:

Review of existing animal and human studies on mastication and cognitive function.
Examination of research on the effects of active mastication versus reduced mastication.
Analysis of studies investigating the role of the HPA axis and stress responses.

Main Results:

Active mastication preserves hippocampal memory processes and reduces stress perception by suppressing stress responses.
Mastication enhances cognitive task performance by increasing hippocampal and prefrontal cortex activation.
Experimental occlusal disharmony induces chronic stress, suppressing spatial learning.

Conclusions:

Mastication plays a significant role in maintaining and improving cognitive functions, including spatial memory and sustained attention.
Masticatory stimulation may preserve cognitive function partly by suppressing the HPA axis.
Understanding the neuronal mechanisms underlying mastication's cognitive benefits is crucial for preventing cognitive decline.