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Occlusion and brain function: mastication as a prevention of cognitive dysfunction
Ono Y, Yamamoto T, Kubo KY, Onozuka M.. Journal of oral rehabilitation, 2010-03-02
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Research in animals and humans has shown that mastication maintains cognitive function in the hippocampus, a brain area important for learning and memory. Reduced mastication, an epidemiological risk factor for the development of dementia in humans, attenuates spatial memory and causes hippocampal neurons to deteriorate morphologically and functionally, especially in aged animals. Active mastication rescues the stress-attenuated hippocampal memory process in animals and attenuates the perception of stress in humans by suppressing endocrinological and autonomic stress responses. Active mastication further improves the performance of sustained cognitive tasks by increasing the activation of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, the brain regions that are essential for cognitive processing. Abnormal mastication caused by experimental occlusal disharmony in animals produces chronic stress, which in turn suppresses spatial learning ability. The negative correlation between mastication and corticosteroids has raised the hypothesis that the suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by masticatory stimulation contributes, in part, to preserving cognitive functions associated with mastication. In the present review, we examine research pertaining to the mastication-induced amelioration of deficits in cognitive function, its possible relationship with the HPA axis, and the neuronal mechanisms that may be involved in this process in the hippocampus.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ono, Y., Yamamoto, T., Kubo, K. Y., & Onozuka, M. (2010). Occlusion and brain function: mastication as a prevention of cognitive dysfunction. Journal of oral rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2842.2010.02079.x
Vancouver
Ono Y, Yamamoto T, Kubo KY, Onozuka M. Occlusion and brain function: mastication as a prevention of cognitive dysfunction. Journal of oral rehabilitation. 2010. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2842.2010.02079.x. PMID: 20236235.
BibTeX
@article{ono2010-20236235,
author = {Ono, Y. and Yamamoto, T. and Kubo, K. Y. and Onozuka, M.},
title = {{Occlusion and brain function: mastication as a prevention of cognitive dysfunction}},
journal = {Journal of oral rehabilitation},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2842.2010.02079.x},
pmid = {20236235},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2842.2010.02079.x}
}
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Key findings
- Research in animals and humans has shown that mastication maintains cognitive function in the hippocampus, a brain area important for learning and memory.
- The negative correlation between mastication and corticosteroids has raised the hypothesis that the suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by masticatory stimulation contributes, in part, to preserving cognitive functions associated with mastication.
Why it matters
This review describes research in animals and humans suggesting that chewing maintains cognitive function in the hippocampus and that reduced chewing is a risk factor for dementia. Much of the evidence comes from animal studies, and it does not show that improving chewing prevents Alzheimer's disease in people.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 41/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of oral rehabilitation) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Oral Rehabilitation: journal h-index 156 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2010 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 221 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 12.3 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 19 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Minoru Onozuka: h-index 41 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Kanagawa Dental University: institution h-index 139 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20236235) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 41 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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