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The effect of masticatory behaviour on generalized attention in heathy volunteers
Author(s) -
Nagashima Shintaro,
Kimoto Katsuhiko,
Ono Yumie,
Ohno Akinori,
Hoshi Noriyuki,
Fuchigami Kei,
Manabe Yuta
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
psychogeriatrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1479-8301
pISSN - 1346-3500
DOI - 10.1111/psyg.12493
Subject(s) - masticatory force , dementia , mastication , prefrontal cortex , cognition , psychological intervention , neuropsychology , psychology , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychiatry , dentistry , disease , pathology
Aim As our society ages, the number of people living with dementia also steadily increases. Some work has focused on masticatory behaviour as a form of daily health care that could help prevent cognitive impairment and dementia. However, it is not yet clear how masticatory behaviour influences various cognitive functions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of masticatory behaviour on the decline of generalized attention, an important cognitive function. Methods Participants were 35 healthy, dentulous individuals without stomatognathic abnormalities (24 men, 11 women; mean age: 56.8 ± 4.8 years). All participants completed three interventions: mastication, foot‐stepping, and none (control). Pre‐ and post‐intervention measures of generalized attention were measured by using neuropsychological tests to examine general attention; the results were then compared. Simultaneously, during the generalized attention task, the functional activity of the prefrontal cortex was observed on functional near‐infrared spectroscopy. Results Response time of generalized attention improved in both the masticatory and foot‐stepping interventions. There was a transient increase in oxyhaemoglobin activity in the right and left prefrontal cortices in the masticatory intervention. Conclusions Masticatory behaviour may be involved in a partial improvement of generalized attention and may induce prefrontal cortex activity in middle‐aged and older adults.