Dysphagia Presentation, Airway Invasion, and Gender Differences in a Clinically Based Sample of People with Parkinson's Disease

Neuroscience tools to study the effect of the presentation form on food-evoked emotion for senior population

The elderly population holds significance among consumers because many of them experience alterations in taste and smell or suffer from physical disorders. These factors can lead to reduced food intake, malnutrition, and, consequently, serious health problems. Therefore, there is a need to develop tailored products for seniors, offering both nutrition and appealing foods with easily consumable textures. Among the various characteristics of food, appearance stands out as one of the most critical aspects influencing food preferences and choices. Surprisingly, there is limited knowledge about how food shape affects the holistic emotional responses of seniors. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of food shape on the emotional responses of seniors. This exploration involved the use of explicit methods, such as self-reported questionnaires, and implicit methods, including the measurement of skin conductance responses and facial expressions, as well as their combination. To achieve this goal, we enlisted the participation of 50 individuals (54 % women) from the senior population aged between 55 and 75 years. These participants evaluated two food products with identical sensory characteristics in terms of taste, texture, and flavor. However, these products differed in terms of their shape. We measured their degree of liking and emotional responses using a 7-point hedonic scale, EsSense25, in conjunction with galvanic skin response, and facial expressions, which served as representatives of behavioural and physiological responses. The multivariate analysis allowed to examine sample configurations by gender and establish associations between variables. The combination of implicit and explicit methods led to better discrimination of samples of the same category than the use of each of the methods independently. Although both samples elicited equivalent liking perceptions, they evoked distinct emotional responses, measured at cognitive, physiological, and behavioural levels. In general, men and women experienced different emotions while observing, smelling, handling, or consuming both samples, both consciously and unconsciously. This newfound knowledge could be valuable when designing food products for this demographic. The ultimate goal is to engage consumers and enhance their enjoyment of the food experience by offering more visually appealing food options.

The Effect of Oropharyngeal Resting Tremor on Swallowing Function in a Clinical Cohort of People with Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, with hallmark symptomology typically consisting of tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity. Though the classic "pill-rolling" rest tremor in the hand or upper limb are often the most salient, it can occur throughout the body including the lower limbs, jaw, face, or tongue. There have been investigations into other motor related phenomena potentially affecting swallow function in PwPD previously. However, there have been no investigations of how oropharyngeal resting tremor in structures such as the tongue or larynx explicitly affects swallowing physiology. A retrospective analysis of previously conducted VFSS on 34 patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD (IPD) was performed to examine how individuals that displayed resting tremor during VFSS (Tremor +) and those who did not (Tremor-) differ in swallowing function. Measures of swallowing function including timing intervals of key swallow events, post-swallow residue, and penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) scores were recorded, and key demographic information including time since diagnosis and medication status were extracted from the medical records available. Multivariate models were used to identify differences between tremor groups for timing intervals and post-swallow residue, and chi-squares were computed for differences in PAS score distribution by group and bolus. Sixty-eight percent (23/34) of this sample displayed oropharyngeal resting tremor in at least one structure during VFSS. There were no instances of other tremor types observed in this sample. All participants were taking medication to manage PD symptomology. Significant effects of tremor group were observed for swallow timing intervals related to airway closure (p < 0.001), post-swallow residue (p < 0.05), and swallow safety at the bolus level in the Tremor + group (p < 0.001). These results suggest that PwPD who present with resting tremor in oropharyngeal structures may manifest with different variations in swallowing physiology, including altered timings of swallow events, increased pharyngeal residue, and greater associations of airway invasion with thinner and larger volume boluses. This study highlights the need for substantially more research into how motor fluctuations and phenotypes of PwPD contribute to alterations in swallowing function.

Dysphagia Pattern in Early to Moderate Parkinson's Disease Caused by Abnormal Pharyngeal Kinematic Function

Airway invasion is common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and can cause serious complications. However, a PD-related dysphagic pattern has not been clearly elucidated. In this study, 53 patients with early to moderate PD were enrolled to undergo a videofluoroscopic study of swallowing evaluation (VFSS) and a battery of neuropsychological assessments. A set of VFSS variables (three visuoperceptual, nine temporal, and six spatial) were measured. The main effects of bolus viscosity and volume on airway invasion were calculated. Statistical analyses were performed to determine key kinematic factors of airway invasion for swallowing each bolus type. Airway invasion frequency was significantly higher for liquid boluses (liquid vs. pudding P < 0.001; liquid vs. honey P = 0.006). Laryngeal vestibule closure reaction time (LVCrt) was the key kinematic factor of airway invasion for 3 ml liquid swallow (P = 0.040), anterior displacement of hyoid bone was the key kinematic factor for both 5 ml and 10 ml liquid swallows (P = 0.010, 0.034, respectively). Male sex and advanced Hoehn and Yahr stage were significantly related to reduced anterior displacement of hyoid bone. These results reveal the dysphagic pattern related to PD, demonstrating that prolonged LVCrt and reduced anterior displacement of hyoid bone are two crucial kinematic factors contributing to airway invasion during the liquid swallow. In addition, hyoid bone dysfunction was correlated with disease severity and male sex. Our findings warrant further investigation of the pathophysiological mechanism of dysphagia in PD and would guide clinical intervention.

Inter-rater and Intra-rater Reliability of the Videofluoroscopic Dysphagia Scale with the Standardized Protocol

This study aimed to develop a standardized protocol for the assessment of videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS) and to demonstrate the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the VDS by applying the new standard protocol. A standardized protocol for the VDS was developed by dysphagia experts, including the original developer. To identify the reliability of the VDS using the protocol, 60 patients who underwent videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) for various etiologies were recruited retrospectively from three tertiary medical centers. Ten randomly selected cases were duplicated to evaluate the intra-rater reliability. Six physicians evaluated the VFSS data sets. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the VDS score, and Gwet's kappa values for each VDS item were calculated. The inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the total VDS score was 0.966 and 0.896, respectively. Notably, the evaluators' experience did not appear to have a significant impact on the reliability (physiatrists: 0.933/0.869, residents: 0.922/0.922). The reliability was consistent across different centers and dysphagia etiologies. The inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the oral and pharyngeal sub-scores were 0.953/0.861 and 0.958/0.907, respectively. The inter-rater agreement of individual items ranged from 0.456 to 0.929, and nine items demonstrated good to very good level of agreement. Assessment of dysphagia using the VDS with the standard protocol showed excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliabilities regardless of the evaluator's experience, VFSS equipment, and dysphagia etiologies. The VDS can be a useful assessment scale in the quantitative analysis of dysphagia based on VFSS findings.

A narrative review on the role and main findings of the Videofluoroscopic Study of Swallowing in Parkison's disease

PURPOSE

Dysphagia is a common symptom in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), though it may go undiagnosed until severe complications arise. Dysphagia can be suspected on a clinical basis, but an instrumental assessment is mandatory to confirm its presence and evaluate pathophysiological aspects and severity of the swallowing impairment. Aim of this review is to inform the clinician and the radiologist on the importance and the main radiological findings of the Video-Fluoroscopic-Swallow-Study (VFSS) in patients with PD starting from the most recent literature data on the topic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Databases analysis identified 98 papers (January 2000/October 2022) of which 55 were excluded after reading title, abstract and full-text. After evaluation of the selected articles and their references 7 additional papers were added.

RESULTS

Fifty papers were reviewed to answer the following four main questions: Should VFSS be routinely used to screen dysphagia? Compared to other diagnostic tools, what is the role of VFSS in PD patients with suspected dysphagia? What are the main VFSS findings and technical expedients ? What is the role of VFSS in the choice of the best treatment strategy ?

CONCLUSIONS

VFSS represents a gold standard technique in the diagnostic evaluation of dysphagia in PD, having a fundamental role in the identification of patients with high risk of aspiration pneumonia and also being extremely helpful to guide to the choice of treatment strategies for dysphagia.

The prevalence and associated factors of dysphagia in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

The prevalence and associated factors of dysphagia in Parkinson's disease (PD) are different in studies conducted in different countries. The purpose of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the prevalence of dysphagia in PD and to clarify its associated factors.

Methods

Two researchers systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang Database, SinoMed and VIP databases and manually searched references in the retrieved articles to identify potential research subjects. The last search was conducted on June 28, 2022. Finally, a total of 58 studies including 60 observations with 20,530 PD patients were included in our meta-analysis.

Results

The meta-analysis estimated that the pooled prevalence rate of dysphagia in PD was 36.9% (95% CI: 30.7–43.6%) and instrumental examination showed a higher prevalence (57.3%, 95% CI: 44.3–69.1%). Oceania showed the highest prevalence of dysphagia in PD (56.3%) compared to Africa (39.5%), Asia (38.6%), Europe (36.1%) and America (28.9%). Dysphagia in PD was associated with older age, lower body mass index, longer disease duration, higher Hoehn and Yahr stage and levodopa equivalent daily dose, PIGD subtype, severe motor symptoms, drooling and higher levels of depression, and lower quality of life.

Conclusions

In conclusion, our meta-analysis showed that dysphagia occurs in more than one-third of PD patients and was associated with several demographic characteristics and PD-related characteristics, motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, as well as decreased quality of life. It deserves early screening, diagnosis, and treatment in clinical practice to prevent serious complications from dysphagia.

Swallow Safety and Laryngeal Kinematics: A Comparison of Dysphagia Between Parkinson's Disease and Cerebrovascular Accident

BACKGROUND

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are well established etiologies of dysphagia. However, differing physiological mechanisms underlying dysphagia may exist between these two causes. There have been limited investigations specifically comparing dysphagia between these two groups. Comparing dysphagia presentation in two different populations may improve clinical expectations, guide treatment approaches, and inform future research.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the differences in presentation of dysphagia between PD and CVA. Dysphagia presentation, swallow safety, and laryngeal kinematics were compared between two clinical cohorts. What factors best predicted airway invasion in each group were explored.

METHODS

110 swallow studies of individuals with PD and CVA who were referred for swallowing evaluation were obtained. Each video was analyzed for quantitative dysphagia presentation using the Videofluoroscopic Dysphagia Scale (VDS), swallow safety using the Penetration-Aspiration scale, and kinematic timings of the laryngeal vestibule (time-to-laryngeal vestibule closure [LVC] and closure duration [LVCd]).

RESULTS

Frequencies of penetration or aspiration were similar between groups. The PD group displayed significantly greater pharyngeal stage swallow impairment than CVA, with more frequent reduced laryngeal elevation and increased vallecular residue. The CVA group displayed significantly greater oral stage impairment, with prolonged oral transit times. Time-to-LVC was significantly prolonged and was the strongest predictor of airway invasion in the PD group, but not for CVA.

CONCLUSION

Similar airway invasion rates for PD and CVA indicate the importance of screening for dysphagia in PD. Laryngeal kinematics as significant contributors to airway invasion in PD but not for CVA highlight the need for further research into these mechanisms and for targeted treatment approaches to dysphagia.

Swallow Safety and Laryngeal Kinematics: A Comparison of Dysphagia Between Parkinson's Disease and Cerebrovascular Accident

BACKGROUND

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are well established etiologies of dysphagia. However, differing physiological mechanisms underlying dysphagia may exist between these two causes. There have been limited investigations specifically comparing dysphagia between these two groups. Comparing dysphagia presentation in two different populations may improve clinical expectations, guide treatment approaches, and inform future research.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the differences in presentation of dysphagia between PD and CVA. Dysphagia presentation, swallow safety, and laryngeal kinematics were compared between two clinical cohorts. What factors best predicted airway invasion in each group were explored.

METHODS

110 swallow studies of individuals with PD and CVA who were referred for swallowing evaluation were obtained. Each video was analyzed for quantitative dysphagia presentation using the Videofluoroscopic Dysphagia Scale (VDS), swallow safety using the Penetration-Aspiration scale, and kinematic timings of the laryngeal vestibule (time-to-laryngeal vestibule closure [LVC] and closure duration [LVCd]).

RESULTS

Frequencies of penetration or aspiration were similar between groups. The PD group displayed significantly greater pharyngeal stage swallow impairment than CVA, with more frequent reduced laryngeal elevation and increased vallecular residue. The CVA group displayed significantly greater oral stage impairment, with prolonged oral transit times. Time-to-LVC was significantly prolonged and was the strongest predictor of airway invasion in the PD group, but not for CVA.

CONCLUSION

Similar airway invasion rates for PD and CVA indicate the importance of screening for dysphagia in PD. Laryngeal kinematics as significant contributors to airway invasion in PD but not for CVA highlight the need for further research into these mechanisms and for targeted treatment approaches to dysphagia.