A June 2021 study by Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) said

  • "In the developing brain, changes in sensory information can greatly affect the brain's structure," 

  • "We fed 2-week-old rats either a soft diet or a regular diet, and then investigated a range of different neuromuscular outcomes in response to stimulation of the anterior CMA."

  • "Our findings suggest that the anterior CMA strongly influences the regulation of chewing, and is affected by sensory inputs during development. As such, reduced chewing function during growth should be corrected as soon as possible to avoid any potential adverse effects on jaw muscle development and chewing ability,"