HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free All Versions of this Article: 102/2/587    most recent 00456.2006v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Thexton, A. J. Articles by German, R. Z. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Thexton, A. J. Articles by German, R. Z.

Electromyographic activity during the reflex pharyngeal swallow in the pig: Doty and Bosma (1956) revisited

¹Physiology Department, King's College London, Guy’s Campus, London Bridge, London, United Kingdom; ²Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and ³Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland

Submitted 20 April 2006 ; accepted in final form 27 October 2006

The currently accepted description of the pattern of electromyographic (EMG) activity in the pharyngeal swallow is that reported by Doty and Bosma in 1956; however, those authors describe high levels of intramuscle and of interindividual EMG variation. We reinvestigated this pattern, testing two hypotheses concerning EMG variation: 1) that it could be reduced with modern methodology and 2) that it could be explained by selective detection of different types of motor units. In eight decerebrate infant pigs, we elicited radiographically verified pharyngeal swallows and recorded EMG activity from a total of 16 muscles. Synchronization signals from the video-radiographic system allowed the EMG activity associated with each swallow to be aligned directly with epiglottal movement. The movements were highly stereotyped, but the recorded EMG signals were variable at both the intramuscle and interanimal level. During swallowing, some muscles subserved multiple functions and contained different task units; there were also intramuscle differences in EMG latencies. In this situation, statistical methods were essential to characterize the overall patterns of EMG activity. The statistically derived multimuscle pattern approximated to the classical description by Doty and Bosma (Doty RW, Bosma JF. J Neurophysiol 19: 44–60, 1956) with a leading complex of muscle activities. However, the mylohyoid was not active earlier than other muscles, and the geniohyoid muscle was not part of the leading complex. Some muscles, classically considered inactive, were active during the pharyngeal swallow.

muscle; motor pattern; electromyogram; deglutition; pharynx; pig

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. Konow and S. P. Gerry Symposium introduction: electromyography interpretation and limitations in functional analyses of musculoskeletal systems Integr. Comp. Biol., August 1, 2008; 48(2): 241 - 245. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Z. German, A. W. Crompton, and A. J. Thexton Variation in EMG activity: a hierarchical approach Integr. Comp. Biol., August 1, 2008; 48(2): 283 - 293. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]