Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : September 03, 2023 - September 06, 2023
Stimulation of the sensory nervous system has been investigated as a rehabilitation method to activate the entire swallowing reflex circuit. We have investigated the effects of frequency and location of electrical stimulation on swallowing movements. Biphasic bursts of stimulation pulses were applied to either the back or neck of adult rats at a randomly generated frequency with a Gaussian distribution with a median value of 30 Hz or 300 Hz. The activity of normal swallowing before and after electrical stimulation was compared by measuring electromyography (EMG) of the swallowing muscles. The results showed that the maximum EMG potentials were larger when both the back and neck were stimulated in all cases. In addition, the 30 Hz pulse frequency produced greater EMG potentials than the 300 Hz pulse frequency. In conclusion, the results suggest the usefulness of electrical stimulation at a central probability frequency of 30 Hz, and further suggest that stimulation to the back activates more swallowing muscles with more beginning stimulation than stimulation to the neck.
