Co‐ordination of Tongue Movements and Peri‐oral Muscle Activities During Nutritive Sucking

Abstract

SUMMARY A feeding bottle equipped with micro‐video‐camera and pressure sensor was devised to show the inside of the mouth and record sucking pressure. Activities of the temporal (TM). masseter muscle (MM), orbicular muscle of the mouth (OM) and suprahyoid muscles (SM) of 25 healthy infants were examined. Tongue and jaw movements, EMGs and sucking waves were scanned simultaneously. The tongue movements included elevation of the medial part of the tongue in a backward‐moving peristaltic wave: significant correlations were found between jaw motion, tongue movement and sucking pressure. The TM, MM and OM were most active when the sucking pressure became positive and the jaw was closing, the SM showing highest activity in the negative‐pressure phase. These findings show that each suckling cycle is biphasic, with sucking pressure, peri‐oral muscle activities and jaw motion all closely correlated. RÉSUMÉ Coordination des mouvements de langue et activités musadaires périorales durant la succion alimentaire. Un biberon équipe d'une micro‐vidéo‐caméra et de détecteurs de pression a été mise au point pour montrer l'intérieur de la bouche et enregistrer la pression de succion. Les activités des muscles temporaux (TM). masseters (MM), orbiculairc des lévres (OM) et suprahyoïdiens de 25 nourrissons en bonne santé ont été examinés. Les mouvements de la langue et de la mâchoire, les EMGs et les ondes de succion ont également été enregistrés. Les mouvements de la langue incluaient une élévation de la partie moyenne de la langue au cours d'une onde péristaltique dirigée vers l'arrière; des corrélations significativcs furent observées entre les mouvements de la mâchoire, ceux de la langue et la pression de succion. Les TM, MM et OM étaient le plus actifs quand la pression de succion devenait positive el la mâchoire fermée, le SM présentant la plus grande activité dans la phase de pression négative. Ces données révèlent que chaque cycle de succion est biphasique. avec une forte corrélation entre la pression de succion, l'activité des muscles périoraux et les mouvements de la mâchoire. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Koordination von Zungenbewegungen und perioraler Muskelaktiviläten beim Saugen. Eine Babyflasche, ausgestattet mit Mikrokamera und Drucksensor, wurde verwendet, urn das Innere des Mundes zu zeigen und den Saugdruck zu messen. Bei 25 gesunden Kindern wurden die Aktivitäten der Mm temporalis (TM). masseter (MM), orbicularis oris (OM) und suprahyoideus (SM) untersucht. Zungen‐ und Kieferbewegungen, EMGs und Saugwellen wurden simultan registriert. Die Zungenbewegungen bestanden im Heben des mittleren Zungenteils in einer nach hinten verlaufenden peristaltischcn Welle; signifikante Korrclationen wurden zwischen Kieferbeweglichkeit, Zungenbewegung und Saugdruck gefunden. TM, MM und OM waren besonders aktiv, wenn der Saugdruck positiv wurde und der Kiefer sich schloß, während der SM die höchste Aktivitäl in der negativen Druckphase hatte. Diese Befunde zeigen, daß jeder Saugzyklus biphasisch ist, wobei Saugdruck, periorale Muskelaktivitäten un...

Pacifier stiffness alters the dynamics of the suck central pattern generator

“…In contrast to full term babies, preterm infants often exhibit immature sucking skills (Lau and Schanler, 2000), delayed patterning (Estep et al, in press;Tamura et al, 1996), and generate fewer sucks characterized by shorter bursts, longer pauses between bursts, and a lower suck pressure (MedoffCooper et al, 1989). The physiological distress associated with prematurity translates to greater variability in suck patterns (Cowett et al, 1978;Dreier and Wolff, 1972;Estep et al, in press;Stumm et al, in press).…”

Influence of straw type on feeding development in infants

“…External observation reveals that the peristaltic tongue movements are synchronized with the jaw movements [7]. Tamura et al [8] reported that the lower jaw was closed until the medial portion of the tongue was elevated. During this movement, the inside diametric height of the teat decreased and the suckling pressure was positive.…”

Electromyographic analysis of masseter muscle in newborns during suction in breast, bottle or cup feeding

“…The masseter is a powerful muscle which is responsible for the movements of mandibular protrusion, elevation and retrusion [3,7-9,18-20]. As there is greater involvement of the masseter muscle, to the detriment of the other muscles involved, while sucking to the breast [18,21,22], masseter muscle activity during breastfeeding could be considered a standard with which to compare other alternative methods of feeding in the neonatal period.…”

“…It is a safe effective method for evaluating the orofacial muscles of preterm [12] or term infants [18,21,22], children and adults [25,26] during feeding.…”

“…Various studies have assessed muscle activity by means of surface electromyography during breastfeeding and other feeding methods in the first year of life, and have concluded that the masseter is more active in breastfed than in bottlefed or cup fed infants [18,21,22,27,28]. However, little is known about muscle activity during breastfeeding in newborns.…”