The Effects of Electrical Stimulation Pulse Duration on Lingual Palatal Pressure Measures During Swallowing in Healthy Older Adults

AbstractLimited research in swallowing physiology has suggested that the most common existing transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) protocol (VitalStim) may not penetrate to layers of tissue to affect deep swallowing muscles. TES amplitude is the primary parameter that determines the depth of electrical current penetration (DECP). Preliminary work suggests that replacing a long-pulse duration with a short-pulse duration can increase maximum amplitude tolerance (MAT) within subjects ’ comfort level. Increasing MAT may indicate a higher DECP. The current study evaluates this premise in reference to the effects of varying pulse duration on lingual-palatal pressure during swallowing. Thirty healthy older adults (60–70 years of age) participated in this study. Each subject swa llowed three trials of 10 mL pudding under three TES conditions: no stimulation, short-pulse duration, and long-pulse duration. TES was delivered using two pairs of surface electrodes on the submental muscles. MAT and perceived discomfort levels were identified separately for short and long-pulse T ES conditions. Lingual-palatal peak pressure, pressure integral, and pressure duration were measured under each condition. Two-way repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to identify within subject effects of TES condition and tongue bulb location. Lingual-palatal pressure and pressure integral were significantly reduced in the short-pulse duration condition. MAT was significantly higher in the short-p...
Source: Dysphagia - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: research