Impact of neck percutaneous interferential current sensory stimulation on swallowing function in patients with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Dysphagia is the clinical name for difficulty with swallowing. It can occur with some neurological diseases such as Parkinsonâ–™s disease and, given the rapidly ageing population, the numbers of patients with Parkinsonâ–™s disease and dysphagia is on the rise. Despite being quite commonplace, the complex mechanisms of dysphagia mean that the condition is not well understood. Assistant Professor Masahiro Nakamori is a clinical neurologist investigating the mechanisms of neurological disease, with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases and dysphagia. A current focus is on dysphagia and silent aspiration in people with Parkinsonâ–™s disease. He is based in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Therapeutics, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan. So far, Nakamori has explored several different techniques, including tongue pressure measurement and tongue ultrasonography, which are both used in swallowing evaluation. He is interested in non-invasive techniques that are simple to implement and wants to develop new creative instruments and techniques. In his current research, Nakamori and his collaborators are experimenting with multichannel surface electromyogram to gain a comprehensive understanding of neuromuscular activity. The goal is to develop new techniques and instruments that will help advance clinical neurology and dysphagia research and, of course, benefit patients; improving outcomes and quality of life.