Evaluation of jaw and neck muscle activities while chewing using EMG-EMG transfer function and EMG-EMG coherence function analyses in healthy subjects

• Published in: Physiology & behavior Vol. 160; pp. 35 - 42
• Main Authors: Ishii, Tomohiro, Narita, Noriyuki, Endo, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Chewing; chewing gum; Coherence function analysis; Coordination; Electromyography; Evoked Potentials, Motor - physiology; Fourier Analysis; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Jaw muscle activity; Male; mastication; Mastication - physiology; Masticatory Muscles - physiology; muscles; neck; Neck muscle activity; Neck Muscles - physiology; Psychiatry; Statistics, Nonparametric; Transfer function analysis; Young Adult; Jaw muscle activity; Neck muscle activity; Chewing; Coherence function analysis; Coordination; Transfer function analysis
• ISSN: 0031-9384; 1873-507X; 1873-507X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.023

This study aims to quantitatively clarify the physiological features in rhythmically coordinated jaw and neck muscle EMG activities while chewing gum using EMG-EMG transfer function and EMG-EMG coherence function analyses in 20 healthy subjects. The chewing side masseter muscle EMG signal was used as the reference signal, while the other jaw (non-chewing side masseter muscle, bilateral anterior temporal muscles, and bilateral anterior digastric muscles) and neck muscle (bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles) EMG signals were used as the examined signals in EMG-EMG transfer function and EMG-EMG coherence function analyses. Chewing-related jaw and neck muscle activities were aggregated in the first peak of the power spectrum in rhythmic chewing. The gain in the peak frequency represented the power relationships between jaw and neck muscle activities during rhythmic chewing. The phase in the peak frequency represented the temporal relationships between the jaw and neck muscle activities, while the non-chewing side neck muscle presented a broad range of distributions across jaw closing and opening phases. Coherence in the peak frequency represented the synergistic features in bilateral jaw closing muscles and chewing side neck muscle activities. The coherence and phase in non-chewing side neck muscle activities exhibited a significant negative correlation. From above, the bilateral coordination between the jaw and neck muscle activities is estimated while chewing when the non-chewing side neck muscle is synchronously activated with the jaw closing muscles, while the unilateral coordination is estimated when the non-chewing side neck muscle is irregularly activated in the jaw opening phase. Thus, the occurrence of bilateral or unilateral coordinated features in the jaw and neck muscle activities may correspond to the phase characteristics in the non-chewing side neck muscle activities during rhythmical chewing. Considering these novel findings in healthy subjects, EMG-EMG transfer function and EMG-EMG coherence function analyses may also be useful to diagnose the pathologically in-coordinated features in jaw and neck muscle activities in temporomandibular disorders and whiplash-associated disorders during critical chewing performance. •Rhythmic chewing is evaluated by the EMG-EMG transfer and coherence functions.•Power and time coordination are evaluated by the gain and the phase characteristics.•Synchrony of muscle activities is evaluated by coherence.•Phase of the non-chewing side neck muscle reflects bilateral/unilateral coordination.