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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
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Adapting Human Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study Methods to Detect and Characterize Dysphagia in Murine Disease Models
Published on: March 1, 2015
Dysphagia in patients with frontotemporal lobar dementia
Susan E Langmore1, Richard K Olney, Catherine Lomen-Hoerth
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 94115, USA. slangmore@ohns.ucsf.edu
Archives of Neurology
|January 11, 2007
Summary
Swallowing difficulties are common in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Instrumental exams revealed abnormalities in many FTLD patients, indicating disease progression to brainstem systems.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Gastroenterology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is associated with hyperorality and compulsive eating.
- Swallowing function in FTLD patients has not been previously reported.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the swallowing status in a cohort of patients diagnosed with FTLD.
- To identify the prevalence and nature of dysphagia in FTLD.
Main Methods:
- A case series design was employed at a referral center.
- Twenty-one patients with FTLD (frontotemporal dementia, progressive nonfluent aphasia, semantic dementia) underwent fiberoptic endoscopic swallowing examinations.
- Assessment focused on the ability to swallow liquids and food, noting the presence and type of dysphagia.
Main Results:
- Caregivers reported swallowing difficulties in 4 out of 21 patients.
- Instrumental examination detected moderate swallowing abnormalities in 12 of the 21 patients.
- These abnormalities were not linked to compulsive eating but suggested involvement of cortical and subcortical pathways affecting the brainstem swallowing center.
Conclusions:
- Swallowing abnormalities are frequently observed in FTLD patients when assessed using instrumental methods.
- The emergence of dysphagia in FTLD patients suggests disease progression impacting brainstem neurological systems.
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