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Effects of hypoglossal and facial nerve injuries on milk-suckling.

Abstract

Functional roles of the perioral anatomical structures involved in breastfeeding were examined in newborn rat pups in which the hypoglossal (XII) and facial (VII) nerves had been resected at the neonatal stage. The XII nerve controls tongue movement and is comprised of two functionally distinct branches: the medial branch related to protrusion of the tongue and the lateral branch related to its retraction. Newborn rat pups with bilateral resection of either of the XII nerve components (main trunk: XII-trunk; medial branch: XII-med; lateral branch: XII-lat) failed to suckle milk and did not survive. Unilateral XII nerve-resected neonates showed different milk-suckling capabilities, which thus resulted in differences in survival rate (XII-trunk: 38%; XII-med: 24%; XII-lat: 92%) and postnatal growth during the postnatal 3 weeks until P21. Unilateral and bilateral resections of the VII nerve innervating the buccolabial musculature produced lowered suckling capabilities and retarded postnatal growth, although all pups showed 100% survival. The results indicate a crucial role of the tongue, especially of protruding muscular elements innervated by the XII-med nerve, in breastfeeding. The results also indicate differential effects of the VII and XII nerve components on suckling capability, survival, and postnatal growth of newborn rat pups.

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  • Publisher Full Text

    • Authors

    Fujita K, Yokouchi K, Fukuyama T, Fukushima N, Kawagishi K, Moriizumi T

    Institution

    Department of Anatomy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.

    Source

    International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience 24:1 2006 Feb pg 29-34

    MeSH

    Animals
    Animals, Newborn
    Animals, Suckling
    Body Weight
    Facial Muscles
    Facial Nerve
    Facial Nerve Injuries
    Female
    Humans
    Hypoglossal Nerve
    Milk
    Pregnancy
    Rats
    Rats, Wistar
    Sucking Behavior
    Survival Rate
    Tongue

    Pub Type(s)

    Journal Article
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

    Language

    eng

    PubMed ID

    16384685