The influence of bite force strength on brain activity: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Abstract

In recent years, functional magnetic resonance imaging has been used to determine the interaction between chewing and brainactivity. However, the factors influencing the activity of the motor cortex have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the presentstudy investigated the influence of the magnitude of bite force on brain activity. Fifteen right-handed healthy subjects (24-32 years; mean age, 27.8 years) were included. Sustained, constant clenching with small and large forces comprised the motortask. The spatial extent of the functional magnetic resonance imaging signal in the primary sensorimotor cortex increased withan increasing bite force in all subjects. These findings indicated the possibility of measuring the activated area in the primarysensorimotor cortex during clenching using functional magnetic resonance imaging, which revealed that the brain activity wasrelated to the magnitude of the bite force.