Projects per year
Personal profile
Area of Expertise
My research explores the growth and function of cranial tissues, particularly the structures involved in feeding. The biomechanical demands imposed by diet are known to affect chewing behavior and joint kinematics and, over time, the growth trajectories of the craniofacial skeleton and its associated soft tissues. By modulating diet, we are able to affect the overall growth of these tissues, bone quality in the jaws, integrity of the jaw joint (TMJ), dental occlusion, and masticatory muscle structure. I am particularly interested in how early life history events (such as weaning and dental eruption/replacement) affect feeding, growth, and adult morphological outcomes.
Current research themes include:
1) Variation in maturation rates among tissues of the masticatory complex and how this affects feeding performance and plasticity. What happens during the transition between infant-like suckling and adult-like chewing, and what are the structural and behavioral constraints that limit efficient feeding during early childhood?
2) The role of type I collagen in the growth of the craniofacial skeleton. How do collagen disorders, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, affect the facial phenotype? What behavioral and/or pharmaceutical interventions are effective in recovering the phenotype and function in these disorders?
Current research themes include:
1) Variation in maturation rates among tissues of the masticatory complex and how this affects feeding performance and plasticity. What happens during the transition between infant-like suckling and adult-like chewing, and what are the structural and behavioral constraints that limit efficient feeding during early childhood?
2) The role of type I collagen in the growth of the craniofacial skeleton. How do collagen disorders, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, affect the facial phenotype? What behavioral and/or pharmaceutical interventions are effective in recovering the phenotype and function in these disorders?
Education/Academic qualification
PhD in Anatomy, University of Missouri
BA in Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin
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Projects
- 1 Finished
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Summer Opportunities in Anatomy Research (SOAR) Program
Menegaz, R., Maddux, S. & Muchlinski, M.
American Association of Anatomists
1/05/19 → 31/05/21
Project: Research
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Craniofacial allometry in the OIM−/− mouse model of osteogenesis imperfecta
Menegaz, R. A., Ladd, S. H. & Organ, J. M., 1 Aug 2020, In: FASEB Journal. 34, 8, p. 10850-10859 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Ontogenetic and functional modularity in the rodent mandible
Menegaz, R. A. & Ravosa, M. J., Oct 2017, In: Zoology. 124, p. 61-72 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
7 Scopus citations -
Limitations of a morphological criterion of adaptive inference in the fossil record
Ravosa, M. J., Menegaz, R. A., Scott, J. E., Daegling, D. J. & McAbee, K. R., 1 Nov 2016, In: Biological Reviews. 91, 4, p. 883-898 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
16 Scopus citations -
XROMM analysis of tooth occlusion and temporomandibular joint kinematics during feeding in juvenile miniature pigs
Menegaz, R. A., Baier, D. B., Metzger, K. A., Herring, S. W. & Brainerd, E. L., 1 Aug 2015, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 218, 16, p. 2573-2584 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
34 Scopus citations -
Experimental Approaches to Musculoskeletal Function in Primates
Ravosa, M. J., Congdon, K. A. & Menegaz, R. A., 14 Jan 2013, A Companion to Paleoanthropology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., p. 55-74 20 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
5 Scopus citations