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Supranuclear Control of Swallowing

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Abstract

Swallowing is an act requiring complex sensorimotor integration. Using a variety of methods first used to study limb physiology, initial efforts to study swallowing have yielded information that multiple cortical and subcortical regions are active participants. Not surprisingly, the regions activated appear to overlap those involved in both oral and nonoral motor behaviors. This review offers a perspective that considers the supranuclear control of swallowing in light of these physiological similarities.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Maggie-Lee Huckabee, PhD, whose efforts were the major stimulus for this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Upland, PA, 19013, USA

    Norman A. Leopold

  2. Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Stephanie K. Daniels

  3. Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder Center, Lewis House, Upland, PA, 19013, USA

    Norman A. Leopold

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Correspondence to Norman A. Leopold.

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Leopold, N.A., Daniels, S.K. Supranuclear Control of Swallowing. Dysphagia 25, 250–257 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-009-9249-5

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