Chewing and cognitive performance: what we know

Abstract

In recent years, chewing has been discussed as producing effects of maintaining and sustaining cognitiveperformance. It is reported that mastication improves cognitive function by activating cerebral corticalactivity, and it is important to demonstrate the cognitive effects of masticatory training using variousinterventions. Recent studies emphasized that chewing gum can attenuate reductions in alertness, suggestingthat chewing gum enhances worker performance. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for thefacilitation in performance observed when the gum is chewed during cognitive testing. Chewing gum duringexposure to stress decreases plasma and salivary cortisol levels and reduces mental stress, although otherstudies report no such effect. In addition, chewing reduces stress-induced changes in central nervous systemmorphology, especially in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. However, further research on the alertingeffects of chewing gum and possible improved test performance in these situations is needed.