Abstract

To clarify the effect of mastication on motor preparation processing using electroencephalography (EEG), we investigated the effect of mastication on contingent negative variation (CNV) and reaction time (RT) in Experiment 1, and movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) in Experiment 2. The twelve subjects performed four CNV or MRCP sessions, and in the Mastication condition chewed a gum base during the resting period between sessions, Pre (before chewing) and Post 1, 2, and 3 (after chewing). In the Control condition, the subjects performed the same sessions without chewing gum during the intervals between sessions on another day. In Experiment 1, the mean amplitudes of the early- and late-CNV were significantly larger in Mastication than Control at Post 2 and Post 3. RT also differed significantly between Mastication and Control at Post 3. By contrast, in Experiment 2, there were no significant differences between Mastication and Control for the mean amplitudes of MRCPs including Bereitschaftspotential (BP) and negative slope (NS') in any session. These results suggest that mastication influences cognitive processing reflected by CNV with stimulus-triggered movement, rather than motor-related processing reflected by MRCPs relating to self-initiated movement, and provide evidence concerning the mechanisms for the effect of mastication on the human brain.