(1) Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Muenster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Muenster, Germany;(2) Department of Neurology, University of Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str.33, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Abstract:
Background
Dysphagia is a major complication of different diseases affecting both the central and peripheral nervous system. Pharyngeal
sensory impairment is one of the main features of neurogenic dysphagia. Therefore an objective technique to examine the cortical
processing of pharyngeal sensory input would be a helpful diagnostic tool in this context. We developed a simple paradigm
to perform pneumatic stimulation to both sides of the pharyngeal wall. Whole-head MEG was employed to study changes in cortical
activation during this pharyngeal stimulation in nine healthy subjects. Data were analyzed by means of synthetic aperture
magnetometry (SAM) and the group analysis of individual SAM data was performed using a permutation test.