Abstract
BackgroundSwallowing is a continuous process with substantive interdependencies among different muscles, and it plays a significant role in our daily life. The aim of this study was to propose a novel technique based on high-density surface electromyography (HD sEMG) for the evaluation of normal swallowing functions.MethodsA total of 96 electrodes were placed on the front neck to acquire myoelectric signals from 12 healthy subjects while they were performing different swallowing tasks. HD sEMG energy maps were constructed based on the root mean square values to visualize muscular activities during swallowing. The effects of different volumes, viscosities, and head postures on the normal swallowing process were systemically investigated by using the energy maps.ResultsThe results showed that the HD sEMG energy maps could provide detailed spatial and temporal properties of the muscle electrical activity, and visualize the muscle contractions that closely related to the swallowing function. The energy maps also showed that the swallowing time and effort was also explicitly affected by the volume and viscosity of the bolus. The concentration of the muscular activities shifted to the opposite side when the subjects turned their head to either side.ConclusionsThe proposed method could provide an alternative method to physiologically evaluate the dynamic characteristics of normal swallowing and had the advantage of providing a full picture of how different muscle activities cooperate in time and location. The findings from this study suggested that the HD sEMG technique might be a useful tool for fast screening and objective assessment of swallowing disorders or dysphagia.
Highlights
Swallowing is a continuous process with substantive interdependencies among different muscles, and it plays a significant role in our daily life
Dynamic Surface electromyogram (sEMG) energy maps during a normal swallowing In this study, sEMG signals were recorded during different swallowing tasks, and the dynamic sEMG maps of each swallowing task were constructed for all the subjects
Different myoelectrical energy intensities were mapped with different colors in the energy maps and the maps were globally normalized with the maximum root-mean square (RMS) value in all the 25 frames
Summary
Swallowing is a continuous process with substantive interdependencies among different muscles, and it plays a significant role in our daily life. Swallowing, a sensorimotor behavior, helps propelling saliva or ingesting bolus from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus. It is a complex process comprised by a sequence of highly organized activities involving the brainstem, neural network, and innervations of muscles associated with the oral cavity, pharynx, and esophagus [1, 2]. The main function of infrahyoid muscles is to depress the hyoid bone and larynx during swallowing, so that the food bolus could be transmitted to the stomach though the esophagus [6], any impairment of these muscles may result in disability of food passing. Early diagnoses of dysphagia could be of great importance for their daily life
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