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Swallow Motor Pattern Is Modulated by Fixed or Stochastic Alterations in Afferent Feedback
Suzanne N King1,2, Tabitha Y Shen3, M Nicholas Musselwhite3
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|April 25, 2020
Summary
Altering sensory feedback to the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) modifies swallow motor patterns. Electrical stimulation, unlike water challenges, enhanced laryngeal muscle activity and inhibited diaphragm response, suggesting airway protection mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Afferent feedback significantly influences the pharyngeal phase of swallowing.
- Understanding swallow motor pattern stability under altered sensory input is crucial for diagnosing and treating dysphagia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the stability of the swallow motor pattern during different types of afferent feedback alterations.
- To compare swallow responses to water challenges versus electrical stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN).
Main Methods:
- Electromyographic (EMG) activity of eight key muscles involved in swallowing was recorded in four anesthetized cats.
- Swallowing was induced via a conventional water challenge and electrical stimulation (fixed 20 Hz and stochastic 1-20 Hz) of the SLN.
Main Results:
- Both fixed and stochastic SLN stimulation increased laryngeal elevator activity and swallow duration, while inhibiting diaphragm activity.
- Electrical stimulation, unlike water challenges, increased specific EMG amplitudes.
- Stochastic stimulation enhanced swallow excitability, indicated by a higher number of swallows produced.
Conclusions:
- Alterations in afferent feedback from the SLN induce specific variations in the swallow motor pattern.
- SLN feedback may modulate the central pattern generator during aberrant feeding, potentially protecting the airway and serving as clinical diagnostic indicators.
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