Magnetoencephalographic study of the starting point of voluntary swallowing.

Clear findings relative to where in the brain the starting point of voluntary swallowing is controlled were obtained in the present magnetoencephalographic study. Namely, the cerebral activity was observed in the cingulate gyrus and supplementary motor area for about 80 ms between 1,000 and 1,500 ms before swallowing in all test subjects. Thus, it is clear that this type of central control mechanism also plays an important role in complicated swallowing movements.