Effects of Tongue Force Training on Bulbar Motor Function in the Female SOD1-G93A Rat Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Delin Ma, Jeffrey M Shuler, Aishwarya Kumar and 4 others
PMID 27573800WHAT IT FOUND
Tongue force training did not improve low-force tongue force, survival, or grip force, and it worsened tongue movement, licking and body-weight decline in female ALS-model rats.
Key findings
01Tongue force during low-force testing was not affected in SOD1-G93A rats, and survival did not differ between trained and untrained SOD1-G93A rats.
02Trained SOD1-G93A rats had greater late declines in tongue movement and total licks than untrained SOD1-G93A rats.
03Trained SOD1-G93A rats also had a modestly greater decline in body weight during the last four weeks.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
This was a rat study, not a human ALS trial, so it cannot show what tongue exercise does in patients. Only female rats were studied, and the authors suggest the effect may not extend to male rats. The task was licking a force-sensing disk for water, not a clinical speech or swallowing therapy. Late-stage outcomes were aligned as percent of baseline because rats were removed at different times, which can make the timing of decline harder to interpret. The study did not test speech or swallowing outcomes; the authors say the relationship to dysphagia is a next step.
Declared interests
The supplied publication types list NIH extramural research support. The supplied article text does not include a conflicts-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that tongue strengthening is unsafe for people with ALS. This was a rat study, not a human trial, and the task was forced licking for water, not a therapy given by clinicians.