Cortical Activation during Swallowing Exercise Tasks: an fNIRS Pilot Study
Denise Mae N Chua1, Karen Man-Kei Chan2
1Swallowing Research Laboratory, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, 7/F, Meng Wah Complex, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Dysphagia
|July 9, 2024
Summary
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) revealed higher brain motor activity during effortful swallowing compared to normal swallowing or tongue pressing. This pilot study supports fNIRS for studying swallowing-related brain function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Swallowing is a complex sensorimotor function.
- Understanding the neural control of swallowing is crucial for diagnosing and treating dysphagia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain activity in the motor and sensory cortex during different swallowing tasks using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
- To compare cortical activation patterns during normal saliva swallows, effortful swallows, and tongue pressing.
Main Methods:
- Nine healthy adults performed three tasks: normal swallowing, effortful swallowing, and tongue pressing.
- fNIRS was used to measure brain activity in the left motor and sensory cortex.
- Tasks were randomized and presented in blocks using PsychoPy software.
Main Results:
- Motor cortex activation was highest during effortful swallows, followed by normal swallows and tongue presses.
- Sensory cortex activation showed no significant differences across tasks, but effortful swallows had the highest mean peak activation.
- fNIRS demonstrated measurable differences in cortical activity related to swallowing tasks.
Conclusions:
- fNIRS is a viable method for examining cortical activity differences during swallowing.
- The findings suggest potential for fNIRS in future dysphagia research.
- Effortful swallowing engages higher motor cortical activity compared to other tasks.
