1- The idea which treat mastication as a

conscious act , even as a ` learnt ` activity .

The normal pattern of jaw movement is due to the
activity of the higher centres , in particular the motor
cortex supported by experimental works reported
that stimulation of fairly localized regions in the
motor cortex produces movements of the jaw , face
& limbs & also lesions affecting the same areas in the
human brain produce corresponding defects in
voluntary action , BUT , animals were able to feed
after removal of the entire cerebral cortices SO the

centres subserving rhythmic jaw activity can

not be in the cortex although cortex may
normally exercise some control over them .

Electrical stimulation of structures such as internal

capsule , limbic system & hypothalamus has been
shown to elicit rhythmic jaw movements BUT even
those structures are not essential as similar
movements can also be elicited reflexly in the
decerebrate animals ( decerebrate rabbits chewed &
the human equivalent , anencephalic infant ,
suckling ) so one left with inescapable

Conclusion that rhythmic oral activity does not

necessarily arise in the higher centres
although it may be influenced by them .

2- The idea which treat mastication as a

series of reflexes

Movement originating in interacting chains or

sequences of reflexes which become self
perpetuating . It relies upon the existence of a jaw
opening reflex , elicited by mechanical stimulation of
oral structures when food is taken into the mouth ,
which is then said to be followed by a central
rebound phenomenon producing closure . Closure
upon food in the mouth resulted in mechanical
stimulation of the teeth or mucosa so that reflex jaw
opening followed & the cycle is repeated This
apparently explain the rhythmic jaw movement seen
in decerebrate animal .

Jaw jerk reflex = reflex opening

stretching the muscles which close
the jaw their muscle spindles
will be activated reflex closure
via monosynaptic reflex arc
results in force being exerted on
food so that oral structures will be
stimulated initiate reflex
opening .

One of the objection to the reflex

chain concept is that reflex activation
of muscle tends to be brief & of abrupt
onset , whereas the regular bursts of
muscle activity in mastication are of
much longer duration & of gradual
onset .

3- The idea which treat mastication as a rhythmic activity

originates in the brain stem under the commands of high
centres & from stimulation of oral receptors

The basic idea is that there is a centre for generating rhythmic

activity in the brain stem ( Rhythmic generator = Pattern
generator ) as it must generate the various rhythmic activities
in the sequence in which the masticatory muscles have to be
activated . The centre is considered to receive sensory inputs
from the mouth & impulses from higher centres , either of
which are capable of driving the generator into rhythmic
activity . Such area or centre is close to the motor nucleus of
the trigeminal nerve . It explains why rhythmic activity can

be obtained on the one hand in the decerebrate animal

by suitable intraoral stimulation & on the other hand by
stimulation of cerebral cortex .

The afferent volleys in sensory pathways are

seen as producing two quite separate central
effects to drive a neuronal circuit into rhythmic
( cyclical ) activity , so that reciprocating
movement of an anatomical structures are
obtained by motorneurons innervating the
agonist & antagonist muscles which must
alternate rhythmically in their activity .
If periodically active group of nerve cells has
the power to inhibit another similar group of
cells , rhythmic alternating firing will take
place so when one group is firing , the other is
having its activity depressed , is tiring or is
recovering ( it has been suggested that the

periodic failure to respond to excitation is due

to the development of a prolonged refractory
period . The group of neurons may thus be
looked upon as firing , tiring & reviving ) .