Pressure profile similarities between tongue resistance training tasks and liquid swallows

Tongue-pressure resistance training is known to Increase tongue strength in seniors and individuals with stroke-related dysphagia However, evidence of associated functional improvements in swallowing is equivocal We investigated similarities in pressure waveform profiles between swallowing and several tongue-palate pressure tasks to identify tasks that may be best suited for inclusion in tongue-pressure resistance training protocols for patients who are unable to safely perform real bolus swallows in treatment Tongue-palate pressures were recorded in 20 healthy young adults Participants performed water and nectarthick juice swallows, effortful and noneffortful saliva swallows, and half-maximum tongue-palate partial-pressure tasks emphasizing either anterior or posterior tongue-palate contact at different speeds Pressure slopes (amplitude change over time) during the pressure application (rise) and withdrawal (release) phases were analyzed A subset of four tasks with the greatest similarity in slope characteristics to those seen in bolus swallows was identified anterior-emphasis half-maximum tongue-palate presses posterior-emphasis maximum isometric tongue-palate messes posterior-emphasis half-maximum slow tongue-palate presses, and effortful saliva swallows We propose that future research should explore the degree to which swallowing improvements are obtained from treatment protocols that emphasize these tasks