Sensorimotor Control of the Human Orofacial System

描述（由申请方提供）：拟定研究旨在 扩展我们对新生儿和婴儿感觉运动整合的理解 非营养性吸吮 使用伺服控制的激活器。制定了三个具体目标， 研究新生儿口面系统的感觉运动装置， 一种新的电生理技术来指示三叉神经面神经的兴奋性 在足月儿和早产儿的NNS过程中的通路。能够调节 将使用机械感觉来探索模式化的orbian输出的组织 夹带，最后，神经可塑性的一些原则将在 在重症监护室中对表现出功能障碍的新生儿进行监护 或控制。同时记录胸壁运动学 作为评估口周炎性质和特异性的对照措施， 刺激呼吸模式。拟议的阻碍战略， 利用自然的机械刺激，具有生态有效性， 婴儿产生适当的运动输出。此外，这种方法是 与适当的口头经验可能是 关键在怀孕的最后几周，他们的中断可能会 损害中枢神经功能表征的脆弱合成。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed studies are intended to expand our understanding of sensorimotor integration in the neonate and infant orofacial system during patterned oromotor output [non-nutritive suck -- NNS] using a servo-controlled ACTIFIER. Three specific aims have been formulated to investigate the sensorimotor apparatus of the neonate orofacial system using a novel electrophysiologic technique to index the excitability of trigeminofacial pathways during NNS in term and pre-term infants. The ability to modulate the organization of patterned oromotor output will be explored using mechanosensory entrainment, and finally, some principles of neuroplasticity will be tested in habilitating neonates in the intensive care nursery who manifest dysfunctional oromotor control. Simultaneous recordings of chest wall kinematics are included as a control measure to assess the nature and specificity of perioral stimulation on respiratory patterning. The proposed habilitation strategy, utilizing natural mechanical stimulation, has ecological validity in assisting the infant to produce an appropriate motor output. Moreover, this approach is consistent with the contention that appropriate oral experiences may be critical in the final weeks of gestation, and that their interruption may impair fragile syntheses of central neural representations of functions.