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Food properties modulate activities in posterior parietal and visual cortex during chewing
Noriyuki Narita1, Sunao Iwaki2, Tomohiro Ishii3
1Research Institute of Oral Science, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, 2-870-1 Sakaecho-Nishi, Matsudo, Chiba, 271-8587, Japan.
Physiology & Behavior
|January 23, 2025
Summary
Chewing food engages the posterior parietal cortex and visual cortex. Brain activity in these areas increases with food hardness and size, indicating a need for cross-modal sensory processing during chewing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Processing
- Food Science
Background:
- Cross-modal interactions are crucial for safe and effective food recognition during chewing.
- Understanding how the brain processes food properties like hardness and size is essential for oral health and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of food hardness and size on brain activity during chewing.
- To explore the role of the posterior parietal cortex and visual cortex in processing oral food properties.
Main Methods:
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure brain activity.
- Healthy individuals performed chewing tasks with varying food properties.
Main Results:
- Increased food hardness significantly enhanced activity in the posterior parietal cortex and visual cortex.
- Increased food size also led to enhanced activity in these same brain regions.
- A quantitative relationship was observed between oral food properties and neural activity.
Conclusions:
- Heightened neural activity in the posterior parietal cortex and visual cortex reflects increased demand for cross-modal representation of chewing-related food properties.
- These findings highlight the brain's sophisticated processing of sensory information for safe and efficient mastication.
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