| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000)
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| Research Abstract |
While the monkeys performed tongue movement, mastication and swallowing, we recorded the neuronal activity from primary motor cortex (MI), primary somatosensory cortex (SI) and cortical masticatory area (CMA) defined by ICMS. After the sufficient neuronal activities were recorded from these areas, the monkeys were trained to perform the visually guided cognitive task. Then, we recorded the 700 neuronal activities from these areas. The tongue movement related activities were showed in 71%, 61% and 15% neurons, the masticatory related activities were shown in 81%, 83% and 88%, the swallowing related activities were shown in 26%, 0% and 55% neurons at MI, SI and CMA, respectively. In the neurons which showed the tongue movement related activities, we compared their activities before and after acquisition of the cognitive task. Before the acquisition, the tongue movement related activities were shown in 23%, 25% and 40% in MI, SI and CMA, respectively. In the other hand, after the acquisition, these activities were shown in 79%, 54% and 35% in MI, SI and CMA, respectively. The ratio of the MI and SI neuron with tongue movement related activities significantly increased after acquisition of the cognitive task. The findings suggest that the face area in MI, SI and CMA may contribute to the behavioral control of the tongue movement, mastication and swallowing. In addition, the finding that the MI and SI neurons with tongue movement related activities showed the changes after the acquisition suggests that the training of orofacial movements may promote the plasticity of the neuron and elicit the activation of the brain.
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