Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

A biomechanical investigation of the structure--function relationships in the human tongue

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dc.contributor Richard J. Gilbert.
dc.contributor Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
dc.contributor Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
dc.creator Napadow, Vitaly J., 1971-
dc.date 2005-08-23T21:50:38Z
dc.date 2005-08-23T21:50:38Z
dc.date 2001
dc.date 2001
dc.date.accessioned 2023-03-01T06:13:17Z
dc.date.available 2023-03-01T06:13:17Z
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8628
dc.identifier 49544689
dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/270258
dc.description Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard--Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2001.
dc.description Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-154).
dc.description The human tongue is a versatile, lithe and structurally complex muscular organ that is of paramount importance for many physiological tasks. The lingual musculature is composed of various orthogonally oriented myofiber populations. Furthermore, coupling this knowledge of tissue myoarchitecture with patterns of regional deformation offers the ability to explore complex structure-function relationships in the organ. Tongue myoarchitecture was studied with Diffusion Tensor MRI (DTI), which derived the spatial diffusion tensor field in the tongue. Since, diffusivity relates directly to myofiber orientation, this in vivo technique successfully produced a virtual anatomical atlas. In order to relate this 3D myoarchitecture to physiological deformations, in vivo strain was quantified by an MRI tagging technique. This technique tagged lingual tissue with a rectilinear grid, which was subsequently imaged to track and quantify deformation through 3D strain measures. Anterior protrusion, sagittal bending, and oral stage deglutition were studied with this technique. The results demonstrated that synergistic co-contraction between various muscle populations produced the necessary deformations in global tongue shape. In order to delineate specific muscular contributions to sagittal bending, the tongue was modeled by a thermal bimetal strip analog wherein thermal contraction approximated muscle fiber activation.
dc.description (cont.) The results confirmed our hypothesis that sagittal bending resulted from synergistic co-contraction of two distinct myofiber populations. In conclusion, tongue deformation is intimately related to the lingual musculature, and our results confirm the characterization of the tongue as a muscular hydrostat - an organ whose musculature produces deformation as well as the structural support for that deformation.
dc.description by Vitaly J. Napadow.
dc.description Ph.D.
dc.format 148 p.
dc.format 13414225 bytes
dc.format 13413981 bytes
dc.format application/pdf
dc.format application/pdf
dc.format application/pdf
dc.language eng
dc.publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology
dc.rights M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
dc.rights http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
dc.subject Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
dc.title A biomechanical investigation of the structure--function relationships in the human tongue
dc.type Thesis


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