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Published on: August 12, 2015
Electrical pharyngeal stimulation increases substance P level in saliva
S Suntrup-Krueger1, S Bittner1, S Recker1
1Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Background:
Substance P (SP) is a neuropeptide known to enhance the swallow response. It likely acts as a neurotransmitter in the pharyngeal mucosa in response to local stimuli. It has been proposed that dysphagia after stroke may be related to reduced levels of SP, which therefore constitutes a therapeutic target. In the present pilot study, we evaluated whether electrical pharyngeal stimulation (EPS), a neuromodulation device to enhance cortical reorganization for the restoration of swallowing function after brain injury, is able to increase SP in saliva or serum.
Methods:
In a randomized crossover study design, 20 healthy volunteers were treated with 10 min of real (0.2-ms pulses, 5 Hz, 280 V, stimulation intensity (mA) individually adjusted to tolerance level) or sham EPS on two separate sessions. Stimulation was delivered via a pair of bipolar ring electrodes mounted on an intraluminal catheter positioned in the pharynx. Blood and saliva samples were taken prior to, during, and up to 1 h after EPS and analyzed for their SP concentration by ELISA.
Key Results:
Following real EPS but not sham stimulation, SP levels in saliva increased immediately and significantly about 28% (p < 0.01) compared to baseline. Serum levels remained unchanged.
Conclusions & Inferences:
Electrical pharyngeal stimulation is able to induce pharyngeal SP release in healthy subjects.
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