Periodontal anaesthetisation decreases rhythmic synchrony between masseteric motor units at the frequency of jaw tremor

Paul F. Sowman, Kirstin M. Ogston, Kemal S. Türker*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study links the reduction in jaw physiological tremor around 8 Hz following periodontal mechanoreceptor (PMR) anaesthetisation to changes in coherence between masseteric motor unit discharges. We have recorded single motor unit activity from two separate sites in the right masseter muscle during a low level tonic contraction, both prior to and during anaesthetisation of the peri-incisal PMRs. Anaesthetisation of PMRs decreased coherent activity between motor units circa 8 Hz, and decreased synchrony between the same motor unit pairs. It is proposed that tremor-generating inputs that cause rhythmic synchronisation of masseteric motor units arise from, or are amplified by the PMRs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)673-682
Number of pages10
JournalExperimental Brain Research
Volume179
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2007
Externally publishedYes

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