Development of oral functions and dysfunctions in juvenile rats

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K22709
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 57:Oral science and related fields
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Kato Takafumi 大阪大学, 歯学研究科, 教授 (50367520)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 豊田 博紀 大阪大学, 歯学研究科, 准教授 (00432451) ; 片桐 綾乃 大阪大学, 歯学研究科, 講師 (40731899) ; 毛利 育子 大阪大学, 連合小児発達学研究科, 准教授 (70399351)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 発達 / 咀嚼 / 動物 / モデル / 離乳

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Developmental mechanisms of oral functions such as mastication and the cause of developmental problems on oral functions remain to be clarified. This study tried to assess oral functions in developing rats. With video assessment, eating behavior was found to begin at 17 post-natal day and food test can be performed after 21 postnatal day. After weaning on 21 postnatal day, food eating and licking have changed up to more than 40 days. Moreover, these behaviors can be influenced by stress after 14 postnatal days. These suggest the possibility of future in vivo animal studies on the development of oral functions after weaning.

Free Research Field

口腔生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

咀嚼など口の機能の発達の研究では、離乳期境に口の機能評価や測定が難しく、過去には乳児期動物でのin vitroの実験や，離乳から日がたった幼齢動物のin vivoの実験が多かった。本研究では，離乳直後からの咀嚼や飲水機能の測定を行い、口の機能を測定することが可能であることを示すと同時に、口の機能の発達を低下させるような実験的介入の可能性を示唆する点で学術的な意義があると考える。