Effects of fine-grained diet on annulospiral endings of muscle spindles in the masseter muscle in developing and adult mice.

In the masticatory muscles, neuromuscular spindles have a very important role in controlling the jaw movement since they act as stretch receptors in skeletal muscles. The continuous intake of fine-grained diet which is easily chewable leads to degeneration of the sensory endings of Ia fibers in many muscle spindles of the mouse masseter muscle in only 120 d after birth.