Effects of Oropharyngeal Air-Pulse Stimulation on Swallowing in Healthy Older Adults

Abstract

While previous research has shown that air-pulse stimulation of the oropharynx facilitates saliva swallowing in young adults, the effects of air pulses in older adults have not been examined. Responses to air-pulse stimulation may differ in young and older adults given age-related changes in sensation, swallowing physiology, and swallow-related brain activation. Therefore, this study sought to determine the effects of oropharyngeal air-pulse stimulation on saliva swallowing rates in 18 healthy older adults. Saliva swallowing rates were monitored across six conditions: baseline without mouthpiece, baseline with mouthpiece in situ, unilateral right oropharyngeal stimulation, unilateral left oropharyngeal stimulation, bilateral oropharyngeal stimulation, and sham stimulation. Results indicated that bilateral oropharyngeal air-pulse stimulation was associated with a statistically significant increase in mean saliva swallowing rate compared to baseline without mouthpiece, baseline with mouthpiece in situ, and sham stimulation. In previous studies, young adults reported an irrepressible urge to swallow in response to oropharyngeal air-pulse delivery, but the older adults in the current study did not perceive the air-pulse stimulation as being associated with swallowing or other behaviors. These findings indicate that oropharyngeal air-pulse stimulation facilitates the elicitation of saliva swallowing in older adults.

Spontaneous Swallowing Frequency Has Potential to Identify Dysphagia in Acute Stroke

“…The absence of a significant correlation between the onset-screening interval and the SPM value suggests that spontaneous swallowing frequency is a robust indicator of dysphagia at different time points during the acute phase of stroke. Also, age is reported to contribute to reduction in spontaneous swallowing frequency [29, 39, 40] . However, in this cohort of acute stroke patients age did not correlate significantly with swallow frequency rate.…”

Sensory Input Pathways and Mechanisms in Swallowing: A Review

“…Studies with air puffs during flexible endoscopy also suggest that the pharyngeal sensation changes with age [107, 108, 112]. The use of air puff stimulation as a mechanism to elicit swallowing is currently under investigation [113, 114]. These studies suggest that healthy individuals experience a strong urge to swallow in response to air puffs directed at the posterior faucial arches.…”

A framework for understanding shared substrates of airway protection

“…Theurer, et al 106,107 (2005, 2009) evaluated the effects of air-pulse stimulation on swallowing outcomes in healthy adults. The researchers found that air puff-pulse stimulation to the oropharynx resulted in an 'irrepressible urge-to-swallow' as reported by the participants 106 .…”

“…The researchers found that air puff-pulse stimulation to the oropharynx resulted in an 'irrepressible urge-to-swallow' as reported by the participants 106 . This resulted in an increased swallowing frequency 106,107 . More recently, our laboratory studied the pharyngeal swallowing of people with PD and dysphagia under dual task conditions.…”