Effects of healthy aging on tongue-jaw kinematics during feeding behavior in rhesus macaques
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026

A Protocol for Comprehensive Assessment of Bulbar Dysfunction in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ALS
Published on: February 21, 2011
Shreyas Punacha1, Kevin Huang1, Fritzie I Arce-McShane1,2,3
1Department of Oral Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Abstract:
Several age-related oral health problems have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), yet how oromotor dysfunction in healthy aging differ from those found in pathological aging is still unknown. This is partly because changes in the cortical and biomechanical ("neuromechanical") control of oromotor behavior in healthy aging are poorly understood. To this end, we investigated the natural feeding behavior of young and aged rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to understand the age-related differences in tongue and jaw kinematics. We tracked tongue and jaw movements in 3D using high-resolution biplanar videoradiography and X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM). Older subjects exhibited a reduced stereotypy in tongue movements during chews and a greater lag in tongue movements relative to jaw movements compared to younger subjects. Overall, our findings reveal age-related changes in tongue and jaw kinematics, which may indicate impaired tongue-jaw coordination. Our results have important implications for the discovery of potential neuromechanical biomarkers for early diagnosis of AD.
Related Concept Videos
The Tongue and Taste Buds
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Tongue
Anatomical Position in the Oral Cavity
The tongue is located within the oral cavity, also known as the mouth. It is attached to the floor of the mouth by a fold of mucous membrane called the...
Deglutition
Swallowing can be divided into three stages: the voluntary phase, the pharyngeal phase, and the esophageal phase. Although the...
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

