Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the relationships of clinical measures of lingual and perihyoid strength with displacement swallowing kinematics and swallowing safety in a heterogenous group of dysphagic adults. Method: A retrospective analysis was completed of videofluoroscopic swallow studies of consecutive dysphagic outpatient…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tongue-strengthening exercise (TSE) on tongue strength and effortful swallowing pressure in young healthy adults. Method: Thirteen young healthy volunteers (six men, seven women; M[subscript age] = 20.5 ± 0.5 years) performed 8 weeks of isometric TSE 3 days per week. A tongue…

Purpose: Although vocal training is often purported to restore and rebalance laryngeal muscle function, little is known about the direct effects of vocal training on the laryngeal muscles themselves. Consequently, parameters of vocal exercise dose, such as training duration and intensity, have not been well defined. The goal of this study was to…

Purpose: Physically active adults have experienced training benefits from fish oil--derived omega-3 fatty acid (FO n3), which may also be of benefit to singers. The purpose of this research study was to determine if self-reported vocal adaptations and body composition changes occur in singers following FO n3 supplementation in conjunction with a…

Purpose: Dysphagia in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major cause of depression and reduced quality of life (QOL). PD-related dysphagia often involves lingual dysfunction and weak pressure generation. The relation of disordered lingual pressure generation to swallowing-related QOL in persons with PD remains unknown. Method: Twenty-four persons with…

Purpose: Swallowing impairment, or dysphagia, is a known contributor to reduced quality of life, pneumonia, and mortality in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the contribution of tongue dysfunction, specifically inadequate pressure generation, to dysphagia in PD remains unclear. Our purpose was to determine whether lingual pressures in PD are (a)…

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the effects of a 6-week progressive resistance tongue exercise protocol in mental practice form on tongue strength. Investigation begins in typically aging adults, a population susceptible to reduced tongue strength and dysphagia secondary to age-related changes in the swallowing mechanism. It was…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate a structured approach for effective speech therapy (ST) for dysarthria and speech-related quality of life in patients with sporadic spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD), including cerebellar-type multiple-system atrophy and cerebellar cortical atrophy. Method: Twenty-two patients with SCD…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate secondary voice outcomes and detraining effects of 2 head and neck strengthening exercises, which have been used in swallowing rehabilitation, that is, the head-lift exercise (HLE) and the recline exercise (RE), in healthy older adults. Method: Twenty-seven healthy older adults (between 60 and 85…

Purpose: Intrinsic laryngeal skeletal muscle bioenergetics, the means by which muscles produce fuel for muscle metabolism, is an understudied aspect of laryngeal physiology with direct implications for voice habilitation and rehabilitation. The purpose of this review is to describe bioenergetic pathways identified in limb skeletal muscle and…

Purpose: The ability to generate tongue pressure plays a major role in bolus transport in swallowing. In studies of motor control, stability or variability of movement is a feature that changes with age, disease, task complexity, and perturbation. In this study, we explored whether age and tongue strength influence the stability of the tongue…

Purpose: We documented speech and voice characteristics associated with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). Although it is a rare disease, OPMD offers the opportunity to study the impact of myopathic weakness on speech production in the absence of neurologic deficits in a relatively homogeneous group of speakers. Methods: Twelve individuals…

Purpose: Quantification of tissue stiffness may facilitate identification of abnormalities in orofacial muscle tone and thus contribute to differential diagnosis of dysarthria. Tissue stiffness is affected by muscle tone as well as age-related changes in muscle and connective tissue. Method: The Myoton-3 measured tissue stiffness in 40 healthy…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that eating a meal reduces tongue strength and endurance in healthy old and young adults. It was predicted that older adults would show greater declines in tongue endurance while demonstrating higher perceived effort, longer meal durations, and clinical signs of swallowing difficulty.…

Purpose: This prospective investigation evaluates oral weakness and its impact on swallow function, weight, and quality of life in patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). Method: Intraoral pressure, swallow pressure, and endurance were measured using an Iowa Oral Performance Instrument in participants with OPMD and matched…