Effects of controllable stress on masticatory behaviour and muscle structure: partial protective effect of clomipramine.

The influence of controllable painless stress and clomipramine treatment was evaluated on masticatory behaviour and myosin heavy chain expression in masticatory rat muscles: anterior digastric, anterior temporalis and masseter superficialis. The adult fast isoforms of myosin heavy chains detected were myosin heavy chains 2A, 2X and 2B. The myosin heavy chains composition of anterior temporalis muscle was unchanged by stress or by treatment. In anterior digastric and masseter superficialis muscles, stress induced an increase in 2B and a decrease in 2X and 2A. Under stress, whereas the myosin heavy chains composition of anterior temporalis and anterior digastric muscles was unaffected by clomipramine, this drug modified significantly the myosin heavy chains composition of masseter superficialis muscle which became comparable to that of control muscle. Stress-induced myosin heavy chains transformations led to an increased velocity of anterior digastric and masseter superficialis muscles but not anterior temporalis muscle. Gnawing and mastication were increased by stress and incisor grinding was reduced. Stress shortened the duration of gnawing and increased the fatigability of anterior digastric and masseter superficialis muscles, whereas clomipramine increased the duration of mastication and reduced the fatigability of masseter superficialis muscle. Stress produces selective changes in masticatory muscles and behaviour. This study demonstrates the muscle type-specific protective effect of clomipramine against stress-induced structural transformations of masseter superficialis muscle and the specific concomitant behavioural modifications.