Electromyography of Swallowing with Fine Wire Intramuscular Electrodes in Healthy Human: Activation Sequence of Selected Hyoid Muscles

Abstract

Few studies have reported the activation sequence of the swallowing muscles in healthy human participants. We examined temporal characteristics of selected hyoid muscles using fine wire intramuscular electromyography (EMG). Thirteen healthy adults were studied using EMG of the anterior belly of digastric (ABD), geniohyoid (GH), sternohyoid (SH), and masseter (MA, with surface electrodes) while ingesting thin liquid, banana, tofu, and cookie (3 trials each). Onset timing was measured from rectified and integrated EMG. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction. When drinking thin liquid, MA, GH, and ABD were activated almost simultaneously, but SH was activated later (using GH onset as 0 s, MA -0.07 (-0.20 to 0.17) second [median (interquartile range)]; ABD 0.00 (-0.10 to 0.07) second; SH 0.17 (0.02 to 0.37) second; P < 0.01). With solid foods, MA contraction preceded GH and ABD; SH was last and delayed relative to liquid swallows (GH 0 s; MA -0.17 (-0.27 to 0.07) second; ABD 0.00 (-0.03 to 0.03) second; SH 0.37 (0.23 to 0.50) second; P < 0.01). The role of the MA differs between solids and liquids so the variation in its timing is expected. The synchronous contraction of GH and ABD was consistent with their role in hyolaryngeal elevation. The SH contracted later with solids, perhaps because if the longer duration of the swallow. The consistent pattern among foods supports the concept of a central pattern generator for pharyngeal swallowing.

Contribuições da eletromiografia de agulha para o estudo da deglutição em seres humanos

“…Finally, infrahyoid muscles, represented by esternohyoideous, pull the hyoid bone inferiorly and subsequently providing their return to resting position characterizing the end of swallowing 31,32 . 24 found that the pattern of activation of the hyoid muscles during swallowing food consistencies of the different supports the concept of the central pattern generator to the pharyngeal swallowing (Table 2).…”

“…And bring as contributions, important results on the electrophysiological behavior of the cricopharyngeal muscle during your rest and in swallowing in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. 24 In this study, the researchers analyzed the electromyographic signal, picked up by fine-wire electrodes, during swallowing, to determine the typical sequence of activation of muscles involved in swallowing in normal subjects (no dysphagia). From their results, they determined the time of activation of the muscles (of the geniohyoid, anterior belly of the digastric, esternohyoideous and masseter) and compared these times between the different consistencies (Tables 1 and 2).…”

“…For this purpose, there were compared 24 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, with 21 healthy volunteers. The severity of reflux was diagnosed through endoscopy upper GI series, 24 and the application of the protocol Demeester score (Table 1 and 2).…”

“…Only the results, the filters that have been configured on the EMG machine, but did not report the sampling frequency, while Inokuchi et al (2014) 24 reported only the sampling frequency ( Table 1). …”

Video fluoroscopic techniques for the study of oral food processing

“…The main feature of videofluoroscopic analysis is to assess the kinesiology of food bolus and oropharyngeal structures using temporal and spatial measurements. Moreover, synchronizing VFS with the other physiological assessments such as electromyography [3], manometry [4], respiratory measurements[5, 6](airflow or plethysmography), enables analysis of the integrated physiology of eating, drinking, swallowing, and breathing.…”