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Updated: Jun 4, 2026
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Non-Invasive Modulation and Robotic Mapping of Motor Cortex in the Developing Brain
Published on: July 1, 2019
Chapter 9--face sensorimotor cortex neuroplasticity associated with intraoral alterations.
Limor Avivi-Arber1, Jye-Chang Lee, Barry J Sessle
1Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. limor.avivi.arber@utoronto.ca
Progress in Brain Research
|February 22, 2011
Summary
Tooth loss impacts oral function. Researchers found that changes in rat incisors, not diet, altered brain maps for jaw and tongue muscles, showing brain adaptability.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Oral biology
- Motor control
Background:
- Tooth loss and attrition commonly impair oral motor functions like chewing and speech.
- Neuroplasticity in the primary motor cortex (M1) is known for limb control but less understood for orofacial functions.
- Restoring sensorimotor functions is key for oral rehabilitation and patient quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neuroplastic changes in the rat face primary motor cortex (M1) and primary somatosensory cortex (S1).
- To examine motor representations of tongue protrusive (genioglossus, GG) and jaw opening (anterior digastric, AD) muscles.
- To assess these changes following intraoral manipulations like diet consistency alteration, incisor extraction, and incisor trimming.
Main Methods:
- Utilized intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) to map motor representations.
- Recorded evoked muscle electromyographic activity.
- Compared motor maps before and after specific intraoral interventions in rats.
Main Results:
- Altering diet consistency did not significantly change AD and GG muscle representations.
- Incisor extraction led to a significant expansion of the AD muscle representation in face-M1 and face-S1 after one week.
- Incisor trimming induced time-dependent alterations in the AD muscle representation.
Conclusions:
- The face sensorimotor cortex exhibits significant neuroplasticity.
- This adaptability may play a role in compensating for altered peripheral states or sensorimotor behaviors.
- Understanding these mechanisms can enhance therapies for orofacial sensorimotor deficits and pain.
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