It is unclear whether the cortical representation of swallowing is lateralized to the left cerebral hemisphere, right hemisphere, or bilaterally represented. As dysphagia is common in acute stroke, it is important to elucidate swallowing lateralization to facilitate earlier detection of stroke patients who may be at greater risk for dysphagia and aspiration. In this study, a modified dual task ...

Horned lizards (Iguanidae, Phrynosomatinae, Phrynosoma) are morphologically specialized reptiles characterized by squat, tank-like bodies, short limbs, blunt snouts, spines and cranial horns, among other traits. They are unusual among lizards in the degree to which they specialize on a diet of ants, but exceptional in the number of pugnacious, highly venomous, stinging ants they consume, especi...

The geniohyoid (Genio) upper airway muscle shows phasic, inspiratory electrical activity in awake humans but no activity and lengthening in anesthetized cats. There is no information about the mechanical action of the Genio, including length and shortening, in any awake, nonanesthetized mammal during respiration (or swallowing). Therefore, we studied four canines, mean weight 28.8 kg, 1.5 days ...

BACKGROUND COPD is a common problem associated with morbidity and mortality. COPD may also affect the dynamics and coordination of functions such as swallowing. A misdirected swallow may, in turn, result in the bolus entering the airway. A growing body of evidence suggests that a subgroup of people with COPD is prone to oropharyngeal dysphagia. The aim of this study was to evaluate swallowing d...

Swallowing is a complex neurogenic sensorimotor process involving all levels of the neuraxis and a vast number of muscles and anatomic structures. Disruption of any of these anatomic or functional components can lead to swallowing disorders (also known as dysphagia). Understanding the neural pathways that govern swallowing is necessary in diagnosing and treating patients with dysphagia. Functio...

Mechanical stimulation of the pharyngeal areas readily elicits reflex swallowing. However, it is much more difficult for electrical stimulation of the glossopharyngeal nerve (GPN) to evoke reflex swallowing than it is for stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) to do so. These paradoxical findings remain unexplained; hence, the main purpose of this study was to explain this contradict...

We investigated the effects of water swallowing, pharyngeal stimulation, and oropharyngeal anesthesia on corticobulbar and craniobulbar projections to human swallowing musculature. Changes in pathway excitability were measured via electromyography from swallowed intraluminal pharyngeal and esophageal electrodes to motor cerebral and trigeminal nerve magnetic stimulation. After both water swallo...

A better understanding of the central control of the physiology of deglutition is necessary for devising interventions aimed at correcting pathophysiological conditions of swallowing. Positive modulation of the cortical swallowing network can have clinical ramifications in dysphagia due to central nervous system deficits. Our aim was to determine the effect of nutritive sensory input on the cor...

We investigated the role of the cerebral cortex, particularly the face/tongue area of the primary sensorimotor (SMI) cortex (face/tongue) and supplementary motor area (SMA), in volitional swallowing by recording movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs). MRCPs with swallowing and tongue protrusion were recorded from scalp electrodes in eight normal right-handed subjects and from implanted su...

background: limited data available about the mechanisms of dysphagia and areas involving swallow after brain damage; accordingly it is hard to predict which cases are more likely to develop swallowing dysfunction based on the neuroimaging. the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between brain lesions and dysphagia in a sample of acute conscious stroke patients. materials and m...