title: Voluntary Modulation of Hemodynamic Responses in Swallowing Related Motor Areas: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy-Based Neurofeedback Study.
abstract: In the present study, we show for the first time that motor imagery of swallowing, which is defined as the mental imagination of a specific motor act without overt movements by muscular activity, can be successfully used as mental strategy in a neurofeedback training paradigm. Furthermore, we demonstrate its effects on cortical correlates of swallowing function. Therefore, N = 20 healthy young adults were trained to voluntarily increase their hemodynamic response in swallowing related brain areas as assessed with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). During seven training sessions, participants received either feedback of concentration changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb group, N = 10) or deoxygenated hemoglobin (deoxy-Hb group, N = 10) over the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) during motor imagery of swallowing. Before and after the training, we assessed cortical activation patterns during motor execution and imagery of swallowing. The deoxy-Hb group was able to voluntarily increase deoxy-Hb over the IFG during imagery of swallowing. Furthermore, swallowing related cortical activation patterns were more pronounced during motor execution and imagery after the training compared to the pre-test, indicating cortical reorganization due to neurofeedback training. The oxy-Hb group could neither control oxy-Hb during neurofeedback training nor showed any cortical changes. Hence, successful modulation of deoxy-Hb over swallowing related brain areas led to cortical reorganization and might be useful for future treatments of swallowing dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.|BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Silvia Erika
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kober
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gressenberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kurzmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.|BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria.|Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interfaces, Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neuper
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.|BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Guilherme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010108:Oxyhemoglobins