 1- The idea which treat mastication as a

conscious act , even as a ` learnt `

activity .
 The normal pattern of jaw movement is due to
the activity of the higher centres , in particular
the motor cortex supported by experimental
works reported that stimulation of fairly
localized regions in the motor cortex produces
movements of the jaw , face & limbs & also
lesions affecting the same areas in the human
brain produce corresponding defects in
voluntary action , BUT , animals were able to
feed after removal of the entire cerebral
cortices SO the centres subserving
rhythmic jaw activity can not be in the
cortex although cortex may normally
exercise some control over them .
 Electrical stimulation of structures such as
internal capsule , limbic system &
hypothalamus has been shown to elicit
rhythmic jaw movements BUT even those
structures are not essential as similar
movements can also be elicited reflexly in the
decerebrate animals ( decerebrate rabbits
chewed & the human equivalent ,
anencephalic infant , suckling ) so one left
with inescapable Conclusion that
rhythmic oral activity does not
necessarily arise in the higher centres
although it may be influenced by them .
2- The idea which treat mastication
as a series of reflexes
 Movement originating in interacting chains or
sequences of reflexes which become self
perpetuating . It relies upon the existence of a
jaw opening reflex , elicited by mechanical
stimulation of oral structures when food is
taken into the mouth , which is then said to be
followed by a central rebound phenomenon
producing closure . Closure upon food in the
mouth resulted in mechanical stimulation of
the teeth or mucosa so that reflex jaw opening
followed & the cycle is repeated This
apparently explain the rhythmic jaw
movement seen in decerebrate animal .
 Jaw jerk reflex = reflex
opening → stretching the
muscles which close the jaw →
their muscle spindles will be
activated → reflex closure via
monosynaptic reflex arc →
results in force being exerted
on food so that oral structures
will be stimulated → initiate
reflex opening .
 One of the objection to the
reflex chain concept is that
reflex activation of muscle tends to
be brief & of abrupt onset ,
whereas the regular bursts of
muscle activity in mastication are
of much longer duration & of
gradual onset .
3- The idea which treat mastication as a rhythmic
activity originates in the brain stem under the
commands of high centres & from stimulation of
oral receptors

 The basic idea is that there is a centre for generating

rhythmic activity in the brain stem ( Rhythmic
generator = Pattern generator ) as it must generate
the various rhythmic activities in the sequence in which
the masticatory muscles have to be activated . The
centre is considered to receive sensory inputs from the
mouth & impulses from higher centres , either of which
are capable of driving the generator into rhythmic
activity . Such area or centre is close to the motor
nucleus of the trigeminal nerve . It explains why
rhythmic activity can be obtained on the one
hand in the decerebrate animal by suitable
intraoral stimulation & on the other hand by
stimulation of cerebral cortex .
 The afferent volleys in sensory pathways
are seen as producing two quite separate
central effects to drive a neuronal circuit
into rhythmic ( cyclical ) activity , so that
reciprocating movement of an anatomical
structures are obtained by motorneurons
innervating the agonist & antagonist
muscles which must alternate
rhythmically in their activity .
 If periodically active group of nerve cells
has the power to inhibit another similar
group of cells , rhythmic alternating
firing will take place so when one group
is firing , the other is having its activity
depressed , is tiring or is recovering ( it
has been suggested that the periodic
failure to respond to excitation is due to
the development of a prolonged
refractory period . The group of neurons
may thus be looked upon as firing , tiring
& reviving ) .