The effects of cortical ablation on mastication in the rabbit.

To verify the hypothesis that the control of movement by the cortical masticatory area (CMA) is particularly important at the beginning of the mastication, we compared movements before and after bilateral CMA ablation. After ablation, the animal could not manipulate food placed in the front of the mouth for several days. With further recovery, the animals could masticate in a more normal way, but the times taken to manipulate the food and to chew to the point of swallowing were increased. However, the form and amplitude of the masticatory cycles were only slightly changed by loss of cortical control. The results indicate that CMA is of great importance at the beginning of mastication and probably also in terminating chewing and initiating swallowing.