Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 1, 2025
Minimally Invasive Murine Laryngoscopy for Close-Up Imaging of Laryngeal Motion During Breathing and Swallowing
Published on: December 1, 2023
Respiratory-swallow coordination in a rat model of chemoradiation
Linda M Rowe1,2, Nadine P Connor1,2, John A Russell2
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Background:
Chemoradiation treatment (CRT) for head and neck cancer (HNC) is associated with postswallow inhale events that elevate the risk of penetration/aspiration. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of a rat model for investigating the effect of CRT on respiratory-swallow coordination.
Methods:
Videofluoroscopic swallow study was performed on 10 Sprague-Dawley rats 3 months post-CRT (3 mg/kg Cisplatin, 10 fractions of 4.5 Gy/day radiotherapy to tongue base), and 10 naïve controls. We examined the effect of CRT on swallow apnea duration, diaphragm movement, and bolus kinematics.
Results:
CRT rats had a significant increase in postswallow inhale (p = 0.008), which was associated with significantly longer swallow apnea durations, lower diaphragm displacement at swallow onset, and faster pharyngoesophageal bolus speed.
Conclusion:
The rat CRT model is valid for the study of respiratory-swallow coordination due to the consistency of findings in this study with those reported in clinical CRT studies in HNC.
