2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

An investigation of the relationship between occlusion, mastication and mental activity using in vivo patch clamp recording method

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23592831
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Prosthetic dentistry
Research Institution	Tohoku University
Principal Investigator	TSBUBOI Akito 東北大学, 東北メディカル・メガバンク機構, 教授 (00241646)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	WAKAMORI Minoru 東北大学, 大学院歯学研究科, 教授 (50222401)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2013
Keywords	in vivo　パッチクランプ / 咬合感覚 / 精神状態 / 脳幹網様体 / 視床
Research Abstract	In this project we try to provide a micropipette for the in vivo patch clamp technique. Unfortunately, few probes were obtained to allow forming the high resistance seal (giga-ohm seal). The other device was also needed to reach the objective neurons of the in vivo specimen. These micropipettes, however, allowed us performing extracellular recording. Neuronal activities responding mechanical stimulation to the oro-facial region were extracellularly recorded from the ventral posteromedial nucleus of the rabbit thalamus. Ninety percent of recorded neurons responded to mechanical stimuli associated with occluding and chewing and also related to the mental activity. These results suggested that sensory information from oro-facial region during occlusion and mastication influences on the level of consciousness.