Meeting Abstract

131.6  Monday, Jan. 7  Sensorimotor interactions in mammalian feeding HOLMAN, S.D.; GERMAN, R.Z.*; Johns Hopkins University; Johns Hopkins University rz.german@jhmi.edu

The mammalian swallow is considered distinct from oral processing (transport and mastication), involving separate sensorimotor pathways and distinct peripheral sensory nerves. We tested the hypothesis that anterior, oral sensation impacts pharyngeal function by selectively removing sensation to the hard palate. In 8 infant suckling pigs we recorded (1) normal feeding, (2) a long-lasting anesthesia treatment, blocks to the nasopalatine and greater and lesser palatine nerves, and (3) a sham treatment, with saline injection. We recorded 240 swallows, and over 400 suck cycles, with videofluroscopy (60 fps). We tested for differences in the timing of tongue, hyoid and epiglottis movements during swallowing using mixed-model repeated measures ANOVA. In the anesthesia treatment, the timing of hyoid and epiglottis movement was delayed, and the epiglottis took longer to get to its “flipped” position, covering the airway than in the control. In the sham treatment, the hyoid elevated more quickly, and the epiglottis stayed in its flipped position for longer than in the control. The differences in the sham treatment are likely due to discomfort from the injection, whereas the differences due to anesthesia are likely from a reduced sensory signal. These results suggest that integration occurs, in the brainstem or in the cortex, between afferent and efferent signals that govern sucking and swallowing.