Jaw movement in people with Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the amplitude and speed of isolated jaw movements and chewing using electrognathography in a volunteer and to compare these data with those of two other Parkinson Disease (PD) subjects, differentiated by the motor characteristics. Method: The 3 participants were divided into three categories: one with 1 non-PD volunteer, a second category with 1 volunteer characterized by Parkinson's hypokinesia, and a third with 1 volunteer characterized by Parkinson's tremor. Results: There were differences among the three groups; however the most significant was between the non-PD and the PD-rigidity, in the amplitude and speed when performing the jaw movements and chewing. Factors related to the adaptive and compensatory processes derived from rigidity process seemed to better explain the observed changes among the PD groups.