Swallow-related cerebral cortical activity maps are not specific to deglutition.

Cortical representation of swallow-related motor tasks has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we elucidated and compared these cortical representations to those of volitional swallow using block-trial and single-trial methods. Fourteen volunteers were studied by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical activation during both swallowing and swallow-related motor tasks that can be performed independent of swallowing, such as jaw clenching, lip pursing, and tongue rolling, was found in four general areas: the anterior cingulate, motor/premotor cortex, insula, and occipital/parietal region corresponding to Brodmann's areas 7, 19, and 31. Regions of activity, volume of activated voxels, and increases in signal intensity were found to be similar between volitional swallow and swallow-related motor tasks. These findings, using both block-trial and single-trial techniques, suggest that cerebral cortical regions activated during swallowing may not be specific to deglutitive function.

[1]  A. Crawley,et al.  Cortical activation during human volitional swallowing: an event-related fMRI study. , 1999, American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology.

[2]  B. Biswal,et al.  Functional connectivity of the auditory cortex studied with FMRI , 1996, NeuroImage.

[3]  A. Damasio,et al.  Improving functional imaging techniques: the dream of a single image for a single mental event. , 1996, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[4]  J. Rothwell,et al.  Explaining oropharyngeal dysphagia after unilateral hemispheric stroke , 1997, The Lancet.

[5]  R W Cox,et al.  Event‐related fMRI of tasks involving brief motion , 1999, Human brain mapping.

[6]  J. Detoledo,et al.  Swallowing difficulties and early CNS injuries: correlation with the presence of axial skeletal deformities. , 1994, Brain injury.

[7]  J C Rothwell,et al.  Recovery of swallowing after dysphagic stroke relates to functional reorganization in the intact motor cortex. , 1998, Gastroenterology.

[8]  RaimondoTraversa,et al.  Mapping of Motor Cortical Reorganization After Stroke , 1997 .

[9]  L. Cherney,et al.  Swallowing Problems in Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury , 1996, Seminars in neurology.

[10]  R W Cox,et al.  AFNI: software for analysis and visualization of functional magnetic resonance neuroimages. , 1996, Computers and biomedical research, an international journal.

[11]  John C. Rothwell,et al.  The cortical topography of human swallowing musculature in health and disease , 1996, Nature Medicine.

[12]  E C Wong,et al.  Processing strategies for time‐course data sets in functional mri of the human brain , 1993, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[13]  D. Cohen,et al.  Severe disturbances in speech, swallowing, and gait following stereotactic infrathalamic lesions in Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome , 1993, Neurology.

[14]  R G Hoffmann,et al.  Nicotine-induced limbic cortical activation in the human brain: a functional MRI study. , 1998, The American journal of psychiatry.

[15]  Y. Lampl,et al.  Anterior operculum syndrome localized by SPECT. , 1997, Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine.

[16]  S E Petersen,et al.  Detection of cortical activation during averaged single trials of a cognitive task using functional magnetic resonance imaging. , 1996, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[17]  R. Cox,et al.  Identification and characterization of cerebral cortical response to esophageal mucosal acid exposure and distention. , 1998, Gastroenterology.

[18]  P M Rossini,et al.  Mapping of motor cortical reorganization after stroke. A brain stimulation study with focal magnetic pulses. , 1997, Stroke.

[19]  Clare L. Park,et al.  A Pilot Exploratory Study of Oral Electrical Stimulation on Swallow Function following Stroke: An Innovative Technique , 1997, Dysphagia.

[20]  R. Turner,et al.  Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging of human brain activity during primary sensory stimulation. , 1992, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[21]  D. Tank,et al.  Functional Brain Mapping Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Signal Changes Accompanying Visual Stimulation , 1992, Investigative radiology.

[22]  Mapping of semantic versus phonological versus orthographic verbal working memory in normal adults with fMRI , 1996, NeuroImage.

[23]  J. W. Belliveau,et al.  Functional Brain Mapping Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging , 1991, Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Volume 13: 1991.

[24]  D. Shedd,et al.  Rehabilitation of deglutition problems in patients with head and neck cancer. , 1979, American journal of surgery.

[25]  J C Rothwell,et al.  Identification of the cerebral loci processing human swallowing with H2(15)O PET activation. , 1999, Journal of neurophysiology.

[26]  E. DeYoe,et al.  Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) of the human brain , 1994, Journal of Neuroscience Methods.

[27]  J. Rosenbek,et al.  Swallowing after unilateral stroke of the cerebral cortex. , 1993, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[28]  R. S. Hinks,et al.  Time course EPI of human brain function during task activation , 1992, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[29]  R. Cox,et al.  Improved technique for study of brain activity during swallowing by functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) , 1998 .

[30]  L. H. Field,et al.  Dysphagia with head injury. , 1989, Brain injury.

[31]  M. Alberts,et al.  Dysphagia following brain-stem stroke. Clinical correlates and outcome. , 1991, Archives of neurology.

[32]  J Talairach,et al.  Stereotaxic exploration in frontal epilepsy. , 1992, Advances in neurology.

[33]  James R. Merikangas,et al.  The Brain and Behavior: An Introduction to Behavioral Neuroanatomy , 2001 .