The Effect of Bolus Consistency and Sex on Electrophysiological Measures of Hyolaryngeal Muscle Activity During Swallowing.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of bolus consistency and sex on the activity of the submandibular hyolaryngeal muscles during swallowing. Twenty young, healthy adults (10 males, 10 females) swallowed four types of bolus material (thin liquid, thick liquid, pudding, and cookie) while being measured with surface electromyography. Measurements of peak contraction amplitude and contraction duration were computed from recorded electromyographic signals. Results from statistical analyses revealed a significant effect of bolus consistency on measures of peak contraction amplitude, but not contraction duration. There were no significant effects of sex on either measure. Findings from this study further the body of knowledge in electrophysiological measurements acquired during swallowing and their potential clinical application during assessment and treatment of dysphagia.