Sternocleidomastoid muscle inhibition induced by trigeminal stimulation

Among numerous reports of anatomical and functional coupling between the trigeminal and cervical systems is the demonstration that the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles may become activated along with the masseter muscles during forceful abrupt biting maneuvers. Whether the co-activated SCM is also inhibited by stimuli that produce masseter inhibition is not known. This study evaluated the SCM for the presence of inhibition during mechanically-elicited (chin or forehead tap) and electrically-elicited (anterior maxillary gingiva stimulation) inhibition of the masseter muscle in ten healthy men. Surface EMG data were recorded bilaterally from the masseter and SCM muscles. The data for each muscle were converted to ratios of the pre-stimulus maximum voluntary contraction activity for each subject and averaged across subjects. Means of these percentages were determined at several defined pre- and post-stimulus intervals. The results indicate that masseter inhibition was clearly elicited by the electrical and both forms of mechanical stimulation. SCM co-inhibition could be evoked by electrical and chin tap stimulation but not by forehead tap. The responses to these stimuli varied among subjects, from trial to trial, and within subjects depending on the experimental condition. The fact that it was possible for this co-inhibition to be evoked is presented as further indication of the functional coupling of the trigeminal and cervical systems.