The overall purpose of this protocol is to characterize normal and abnormal deglutitive tongue pressure as a function of swallowing task. The goals are to: (1) Quantify the normal modulation of propulsive lingual pressure during discrete versus rapid sequential swallows, (2) contrast how task-induced pressure dynamics changes with aging in healthy adults and with reduced tongue strength in neuromuscular/musculoskeletal disorders, (3) determine the relationship between task-induced oral tongue pressure profiles of patients with their diagnostic MBS finding and clinical oral motor signs, and (4) characterize the clinical profiles of patients who can and those who cannot benefit from sequential swallowing as a compensatory strategy. The protocol was approved on 3/28/2001. Due to a delay in equipment acquisition and optimization, no studies have been conducted to date. The required equipment include the following: the Digital Swallowing Workstation (Kay Elemetrics, NJ), and the Digital Fluoroscopy GoldOne System in Diagnostic Radiology. The latter is now operational, and optimization of the Digital Swallowing Workstation is expected to be completed by the manufacturer in two weeks. We, therefore, project that data collection will begin in October, 2001. Despite the delay, we have successfully completed four pilot studies, identified the optimal type of Tongue Array (pressure-bulb strip) and adhesive strip to use, and refined procedures for subject screening, task execution, data recording and data analysis.
