| Literature DB >> 10750361 |
M Sesay1, A Tanaka, Y Ueno, P Lecaroz, D G De Beaufort.
Abstract
It is suggested that mastication stimulates the brain and accelerates its energy-consuming metabolism. This study was designed to determine its effects on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using xenon-enhanced computed tomography (Xe-CT). Seven male volunteers, aged 24-57 years, inhaled 30% xenon in a 4 minutes wash-in and 4 minutes wash-out protocol. CT was scanned every 54.5 seconds. The subjects were instructed to chew a gum continuously at a rate of 1 bite per second except at the time of CT scanning (5.5 seconds). A second CBF was done 20 minutes later. Subtraction (mastication-baseline) maps were created. CT images were taken at three levels so as to include the cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system, brainstem and cerebellum. The results demonstrated a significant rCBF increase in the fronto-temporal cortex, caudate nucleus, thalamus and minor increase in the rolandic areas, insula, cingulate and cerebellum. Further studies are needed to validate the clinical significance of these findings.Entities:
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Year: 2000 PMID: 10750361
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Keio J Med ISSN: 0022-9717