Evaluation of cortical activation area responsible for changes in orofacial function: An fMRI study

血氧水平依赖性（BOLD）功能磁共振成像（fMRI）是一种无创的研究人脑功能的技术。本研究的目的是应用上述方法对8名正常右利手志愿者进行研究，以确定负责产生舌头运动的脑区及其与个体咀嚼侧偏好的关系。所有受试者均签署书面知情同意书，并在当地伦理委员会的批准下进行研究，实验结束后对咀嚼侧偏好进行访谈。所有受试者在MR成像前进行舌运动训练，并结合口面部肌肉肌电图活动的视觉反馈，以最大限度地减少口面部区域运动对所获得图像的伪影。采用ASiemens Vision 1.5T磁共振成像仪进行图像采集。采用SPM 99软件进行统计分析。在组分析中，BOLD信号的显着增加，与休息条件相比，检测到在舌头运动的初级感觉运动皮层，辅助运动区和小脑;在所有的情况下，这些大脑区域的两个半球激活后，所有的突出，rignt和tongue运动。通过对6名咀嚼侧偏好明显的受试者不同舌运动时BOLD信号的个体分析发现，咀嚼侧偏好对侧和同侧的初级感觉运动皮层和小脑信号强度分别有增大的趋势。研究结果表明，在负责舌头运动的初级感觉运动皮层中，大脑半球的优势与受试者的咀嚼侧偏好之间存在关系。

Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD)-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is known to be a noninvasive technique for studying human brain function. The purpose of this study, applying the above method to 8 normal right-handed volunteers, was to identify brain areas responsible for producing tongue movements and their relations with the individual chewing side preference. All subjects gave written informed consentand were studied with local ethical approval, and the chewing side preference was interviewed after the experiment. All subjects were trained, before the MR imaging, to perform tongue movements with visual feedback of electromyographic activities of orofacial muscles in order to minimize the artifacts onto the acquired images by motion of orofacial area. ASiemens Vision 1.5T MRI apparatus was used for image acquisition. The data were analyzed by SPM99. In the group analysis, marked increase of BOLD signals compared with the rest conditions was detected during tongue movements in primary sensorimotor cortices, supplementary motor area and cerebellum ; in all instances were these brain areas of both hemispheres activated upon all of protrusion, rignt and leftward tongue movements. By the individual-based analysis of BOLD signals during various tongue movements in 6 subjects with evident chewing side preference, the signal intensity of the primary sensorimotor cortex and the cerebellum tended to be greater in the contralateral and ipsilateral side of the chewing side preference, respectively. The results suggest that, in primary sensorimotor cortices responsible for tongue movements, there is a relationship between hemispheric dominance and chewing side preference across subjects.