Difference in the Electromyographic Behavior of the Masticatory and Swallowing Muscles During Cued Versus Spontaneous Swallowing.
Naoya Saito, Toru Ogawa, Naru Shiraishi and 5 others
PMID 37752277WHAT IT FOUND
Cued swallowing increased muscle activity, extended duration, and hastened initial activation compared to spontaneous swallowing in healthy adults.
This held true regardless of food consistency or amount. The findings suggest swallowing style affects muscle behavior, but do not confirm clinical benefit.
Key findings
01Cued swallowing significantly increased integrated EMG activity in the masseter, digastric, and genioglossus muscles compared to spontaneous swallowing.
02The duration of muscle activity was significantly longer during spontaneous swallowing than during cued swallowing for all three measured muscles.
03Initial activation timepoints and total swallowing duration were significantly longer during cued swallowing compared to voluntary (spontaneous) swallowing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted on only 12 healthy adults with no history of dysphagia, so the results may not apply to patients with swallowing disorders. Surface EMG was used, which means signals from adjacent muscles (like the mylohyoid) may have mixed with the target muscles, potentially affecting accuracy. The study did not use videofluoroscopy or endoscopy to directly observe the hyoid bone or epiglottis, relying instead on muscle onset/offset to define swallowing phases. The sample size was small and the study was exploratory, limiting the generalizability of the findings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by non-U.S. government funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increased muscle activity during cued swallowing as a sign of improved safety or efficacy for patients with dysphagia. This study was performed on healthy adults, and the authors note that cued swallowing might actually increase aspiration risk if bolus formation is inadequate due to masticatory disorders.