Identification and assessment of factors contributing to variability of the jaw jerk

Unlike limb monosynaptic reflexes, the jaw jerk reflex ( JJR ) is extremely variable. We studied 35 healthy adults to determine the relative contributions of extrinsic and intrinsic factors underlying this variability. Each subject sat in a dental chair with his head and chin securely stabilized. Chin taps, delivered by a solenoid-driven plunger, were quantified with a piezo -transducer. The reflex response was recorded from surface electrodes over the right masseter muscle. A nasal thermistor signalled phases of respiration. Five of the 35 subjects had no reflex when relaxed, but during 15 degrees neck extension or voluntary contraction of the platysma muscle, a JJR appeared. The amplitude of the reflex varied considerably from trial to trial in all but one subject. A small component of this variability was due to minute changes in tap force despite head and chin stabilization and stimulus uniformity. Mean amplitudes of the reflex tended to increase with increases in tap force, but variability was large indicating intrinsic fluctuations in motoneuron excitability. Voluntary contraction of the platysma muscle and 15 degrees neck extension reliably enhanced the reflex. The JJR showed negligible respiratory modulation during quiet breathing. The reflex's variability in and among subjects precludes the use of the JJR as an index of masseteric motoneuron excitability. Our findings suggest that branchial motoneurons innervating the masticatory muscles receive far more diverse and fluctuating inputs than do somatic motoneurons innervating limb muscles.