Genioglossus muscle activity during rhythmic open–close jaw movements

The purpose of this study was to examine genioglossus muscle activity during rhythmic open-close jaw movements. The electromyographic activity of the genioglossus muscle was recorded with a bipolar fine-wire electrode in six healthy males. The electromyographic activities of the ipsilateral masseter and digastric muscles were simultaneously recorded with bipolar surface electrodes. The subjects were instructed to perform rhythmic open-close jaw movements in time with a metronome set at 23, 27, 33, 42 and 50 beats/min. In all of the subjects, rhythmic electromyographic activity of the genioglossus muscle was recorded in both the jaw-opening and jaw-closing phases. The activity of the genioglossus muscle was predominantly recorded in the jaw-opening phase in two subjects, and in the jaw-closing phase in two subjects. The burst duration of the electromyographic activity of the genioglossus muscle changed linearly in accordance with the cycle duration. However, the latency from the onset of the electromyographic activity of the masseter or digastric muscle to that of the genioglossus muscle was almost constant, independent of the cycle duration. Based on these findings, we conclude that the activity of the human genioglossus muscle is closely linked to that of masticatory muscles under the control of a closely related central pattern generator.