title: Effects of chemesthetic stimuli, age, and genetic taste groups on swallowing apnea duration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study tested the hypotheses that swallowing apnea duration (SAD) will increase given chemesthetic stimuli (ie, water < ethanol, acid, and carbonation), age (older > young), and genetic taste differences (supertasters > nontasters).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective group design.
  
  
  METHODS
  University medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty healthy adult women were identified as nontasters and supertasters, equally comprising 2 age groups: 18 to 35 years (n = 40) and 60+ years (n = 40). The KayPentax Swallowing Signals Lab was used to acquire SAD via nasal cannula during individually randomized swallows of 5 mL deionized water, 2.7% w/v citric acid, seltzer water, and 50:50 diluted ethanol/water. Data were analyzed using path analysis, with the mediator of chemesthetic perception, adjusted for repeated measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant main effects of chemesthetic stimuli (P = .002), age (P < .001), and genetic taste differences (P = .04) on SAD were found. Older women and supertasters had longer SADs than young women and nontasters. Post hoc analyses revealed ethanol and acid boluses elicited significantly longer SADs than water boluses did. There was no significant effect of chemesthetic perception (P > .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SAD in healthy women increased with changes in chemesthetic stimuli, older age, and in supertasters versus nontasters. It is unclear at this stage if increased SAD is a helpful mechanistic change (potentially protective against aspiration) or a maladaptive change (associated with aspiration). Future research should use these chemesthetic changes in bolus properties to assess if increased SAD decreases aspiration in patients with dysphagia while accounting for genetic taste differences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. dplonk@wfubmc.edu
authors.forename: Drew P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Plonk
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grace-Martin
authors.forename: Cathy A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pelletier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001049:Apnea / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011441:Propylthiouracil; D013649:Taste / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014783:Viscosity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011441:Propylthiouracil