Analysis of brain activity during clenching by fMRI

• Published in: Journal of oral rehabilitation Vol. 29; no. 5; pp. 467 - 472
• Main Authors: Tamura, T., Kanayama, T., Yoshida, S., Kawasaki, T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-05-2002
• Subjects: Adult; Brain - physiology; brain activity; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; clenching; Corpus Striatum - physiology; Dentistry; Echo-Planar Imaging; functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; magnetic resonance (MR) signal intensity change; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; mastication; Masticatory Muscles - physiology; Motor Cortex - physiology; Muscle Contraction - physiology; Somatosensory Cortex - physiology; Statistics as Topic
• ISSN: 0305-182X; 1365-2842
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2842.2002.00880.x

It has been considered difficult to obtain satisfactory functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) during jaw movements because the head motion during jaw movements makes artefacts on the images. To avoid these artefacts, we chose clenching task and larger pixels to allow some head motion of the subjects. Further the study discarded all data from subjects whom the head was evaluated to move more than 0·3 mm. The study examined 10 healthy right‐handed volunteers with echo‐planar magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and functional MR signal intensity changes could be obtained in all subjects. However, in the analysis of each pixel of individuals, three different types of pixels were established. It was determined that the pixels that synchronized positively with the task on/off and where signal intensity increase was below 10% expressed the real brain activity. Pixels showing the real brain activity were found in the sensory, motor and pre‐motor cortexes in both hemispheres in all subjects, and also in the insula region of two subjects. No pixels were found in the striatum and supplementary motor areas. From the above careful consideration and individual analysis of each pixel, it was concluded that brain activity during the clenching task could be obtained by fMRI.