Musculoskeletal Arrangements for Lateral Mandibular Movements in the Rabbit and Rat: Electromyographic and Other Analyses

Abstract

Electromyography using wire microelectrodes and multichannel recording of the masseter and medial pterygoid muscles demonstrated that in the rabbit, the ipsilateral medial pterygoid muscle actively opposes lateral mandibular movement. In the rat, the ipsilateral medial pterygoid muscle and contralateral masseter muscle oppose the movement. The results correlate with the musculoskeletal arrangements of the two animals.