Prevention of facial nerve paralysis sequelae - basic research for facial muscle massage

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K09919
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 56050:Otorhinolaryngology-related
• Research Institution: Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University
• Principal Investigator: Haginomori Shin-Ichi 大阪医科薬科大学, 医学部, 教授 (90291799)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 仲野 春樹 大阪医科薬科大学, 医学部, 講師 (10444027) ; 乾 崇樹 大阪医科薬科大学, 医学部, 講師 (60465614)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 顔面神経麻痺 / 後遺症予防 / 顔面神経核 / 三叉神経 / 表情筋マッサージ / エビデンス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We created a facial paralysis model and evaluated the effects of facial massage on the input of the trigeminal nerve to the facial nerve nucleus in order to establish evidence for the effects of massage on facial paralysis. After identifying the facial nerve nucleus, we performed immunostaining for c-fos, a marker of neuronal activity, and compared the number of c-fos positive neurons in the facial nerve nucleus on the operated and healthy sides. The number of the c-fos positive neurons in the nucleus in the paralytic side was smaller than that in the healthy side in some models. However, it depended on where the slice of the nucleus was stained. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the excitability of the facial nerve nucleus by preparing serial sections of the entire facial nerve nucleus and adding the number of positive cells, which will be applied in future studies.

Free Research Field

耳鼻咽喉科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

顔面神経麻痺は治療にて75%は治癒するが、25%は治癒せず病的共同運動や顔面拘縮の後遺症が永続しQOLを低下させる。後遺症予防に表情筋マッサージが行われるが、未だ確立したエビデンスはない。本研究では麻痺動物モデルを用いてマッサージが顔面神経核の興奮性に与える影響について組織学的に検討した。その結果、顔面神経麻痺では神経核の興奮性・活動性は低下することが明らかになったが、今回はマッサージの興奮抑制効果は不明確であり、今後さらに切片数を増やして検討する予定である。