Number and distribution of muscle spindles in the masticatory muscles of the rat.

The frequency and distribution of muscle spindles in the muscles of mastication of the rat have been studied. The average number of spindles found was 110 in the masseter, 75 in the temporalis and 25 in the medial pterygoid muscle, the spindles being predominantly in the medial parts of these muscles. No muscle spindles were found in the lateral pterygoid or posterior digastric muscle, and only isolated spindles were found in a few of the anterior digastric muscles. These differences between the jaw-closing and the jaw-opening muscles are intriguing and ask for further investigation of the role of the muscle spindles in mastication.