Tongue Motor Recruitment During Exercise

University of Florida

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: Swallowing Tasks; Procedure: Maximum expiratory pressure; Procedure: Videofluoroscopy; Procedure: Electromyography

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02687737

IRB201600120

Details and patient eligibility

About

The prevalence of dysphagia may be as high as 22% in individuals over 50 years of age. There are few therapeutic options offered to these individuals. One more recent therapeutic option is Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST), which has been used successfully to maintain or increase expiratory force generating pressures, cough function, and swallowing in a number of disease populations. Recently, the investigators have noted improvements in oral transit time during swallowing in individuals with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) that could potentially be attributed to improved base of tongue functioning and muscle activation.

There has been one study that demonstrated that breathing training resulted in increased and prolonged submental (under the chin) muscle activation as evidenced by surface electromyography. However, no studies have investigated the activation of the tongue muscles during various swallowing and breathing exercises. A small needle electrode (fine wire EMG) is standard of care in diagnosing muscular diseases because it can determine amount of muscle recruitment for muscles throughout the body. This aim of this research study is to examine the effects of breathing exercises and swallowing exercises on tongue muscle activity in healthy adults.

Full description

This study will measure tongue muscle activation using fine wire EMG placed into the tongue muscle (underneath the chin) during swallowing and breathing exercises. A neurologist trained in EMG will perform all procedures to ensure best placement and minimize discomfort of the participant. While the needle is in place, the participant will complete a series of swallowing tasks and breathing exercises using a small, handheld training device. All swallowing and breathing tasks will be viewed under x-ray in order to see the movement and timing of the tongue and swallowing muscles during each task. Participation in the study will take one, one-hour visit to the Shands Dental Tower lab spaces where all procedures will be completed.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 90 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• No known major disease, disorder or medical conditions

Exclusion criteria

• Currently on anticoagulant therapy
• Has a bleeding/anticoagulant disorder or disease

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 1 patient group

Exercise

Experimental group

Description:

The participants will have the following tests performed: Maximum Expiratory Pressure (MEP), insertion of a fine-wire electromyography (EMG) electrode into the mid-line base of the tongue, will complete swallowing tasks and breathing tasks under Videofluoroscopy (fluoroscopy on only during the actual task)

Treatment:

Procedure: Electromyography

Procedure: Videofluoroscopy

Procedure: Maximum expiratory pressure

Behavioral: Swallowing Tasks