Elsevier

Brain Research

Volume 15, Issue 1, September 1969, Pages 107-120
Brain Research

Some properties of cortically-evoked swallowing and chewing in rabbits

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(69)90313-8Get rights and content

Abstract

Under controlled ether anesthesia, the rostral half of the rabbit's brain was explored with repititive electrical pulses of various parameters to elicit rhythmic movements of swallowing and chewing. The features of the cortical areas and the modes of the two motor responses were compared. The effects of reflex stimulation to the oropharyngeal structures on these responses were also studied.

  • (1)

    A narrow cortical motor area for swallowing and a relatively wide area for chewing exist, largely overlapping, on the anterolateral surface. Both are irregular in shape and non-concentric.

  • (2)

    Stimulation of wider ranges both in intensity and frequency produced rhythmic chewing; however those of prominently narrow stimulus ranges produced rhythmic swallowing. An ‘optimal frequency’ between 30 and 50/sec was found for both responses.

  • (3)

    Cathodal stimulation was more effective in producing both swallowing and chewing than a anodal, and chewing was the more redily elicitable of the two responses.

  • (4)

    With deepening anesthesia, the territory of cortical motor areas shrank and the responses became feeber (elevation of threshold, decrease in rate of chewing and swallowing, prolonged latency). Swallowing was more susceptible to such depression than was chewing.

  • (5)

    Both the swallowing and chewing responses were facilitated by bilateral cortical stimulation, and the separation of the cerebral hemisphere by midline splitting left this effect unchanged.

  • (6)

    Weak or moderate intensity of stimulation to the superior laryngeal nerve facilitated the elicitation of the cortically-induced swallowing. The stronger stimulation, however, markedly suppressed chewing.

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Cited by (104)

  • Effect of peripherally and cortically evoked swallows on jaw reflex responses in anesthetized rabbits

    2018, Brain Research
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    The authors reported that swallowing was more frequently evoked together with other responses, such as rhythmic jaw movements. Both Sumi and Martin et al. suggested that the Cx area that evokes swallows lies within a narrower area, while rhythmic jaw movements can readily be evoked (Martin et al., 1999; Sumi, 1969). In our preliminary experiments, rhythmic jaw movements were often observed when Cx was stimulated at 2.0 T or greater.

  • Differential response properties of peripherally and cortically evoked swallows by electrical stimulation in anesthetized rats

    2016, Brain Research Bulletin
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    Although peripheral and central inputs are capable of inducing swallowing, few studies have investigated how these two types of swallows are functionally different. Sumi studied peripherally and cortically evoked swallows from the same animal, and also showed facilitation of swallowing initiation with the combination of peripheral and cortical stimulation (Sumi, 1969). However, to our knowledge, no report has quantitatively compared peripherally and cortically evoked swallows.

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