Physiological Changes In Oropharyngeal Swallowing With Age:An Electrophysiological Study

摘要

It is important to distinguish the effects of normal aging on oropharyngeal swallowing from many disorders which may lead to dysphagia. The purpose of this study was to determine the neurophysiological alterations of normal aging on the oropharyngeal swallowing in normal subjects with different age groups.We studied three different age groups, a total of 110 healthy volunteers with an age range between 17 and 81 years by using electrophysiological methods. The EMG activity of submental / suprahyoid muscles (SM-EMG) and mechanical upward and downward laryngeal movements were recorded during dry and wet (3 ml water) swallowing. By this method, the total duration and the amplitude of SM-EMG, the time of upward displacement of the larynx, swallowing variability (jitter) and A-0 interval (an interval related to triggering of the swallowing reflex) were measured from subjects of the three different age groups.All parameters were influenced by advanced age. Several parameters, including total duration of SM-EMG, time necessary for triggering of the swallowing reflex and swallowing variability were significantly increased in the oldest age group compared with those in the younger age groups. It was also found that the delay in triggering the pharyngeal stage of swallowing is one of the important parameters that altered in the elderly.In this study, it has been demonstrated that some physiological changes occur in oropharyngeal swallowing with increasing age without any alteration in the basic pattern of deglutition.How to cite this article:İ. AYDOĞDU, N. KIYLIOĞLU, S. TARLACI, N. YüCEYAR, Y. SE?İL, M. PEHLİVAN, C. ERTEKİN: Physiological Changes In Oropharyngeal Swallowing With Age:An Electrophysiological Study. J Neurol Sci [Turk] 2007;24:144-154How to cite this URL & PDF:İ. AYDOĞDU, N. KIYLIOĞLU, S. TARLACI, N. YüCEYAR, Y. SE?İL, M. PEHLİVAN, C. ERTEKİN: Physiological Changes In Oropharyngeal Swallowing With Age:An Electrophysiological Study. J Neurol Sci [Turk] 2007 [cited 2007 June 15];24:144-154. Available from: http://jns.dergisi.org/text.php3?id=163 PDF: http://jns.dergisi.org/pdf/pdf_JNS_163.pdfE-mail of the corresponding author: ibrahim.aydogdu@ege.edu.tr