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Volunteers Needed for Swallowing Study

RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

STUDY TITLE : Tongue-Jaw linkages in Feeding

PURPOSE

The purpose of this research project is to study the processes of eating and drinking. Videoradiography (x-ray digital-video recordings) will be used to measure the motions of the mouth and pharynx (throat) in healthy volunteers eating or drinking foods.

The results from this study will help us care for patients with swallowing problems due to stroke and other diseases.

This study will require one visit to Church Professional Office Building, Johns Hopkins University (98 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231) for about 90 minutes of your time. Most sessions will be scheduled on Wednesday or Friday. Participants will be paid $200 and travel costs.

If you join this study, we will first take a brief medical and dental history to ensure that you have no problems with eating or swallowing. We will perform a brief dental exam. We will place flexible bands around your chest and abdomen to measure breathing. Small metal disks will be glued to three of your teeth with dental adhesive. These are tooth markers that make it easier for us to measure motion on the x-rays. The markers are comfortable and are easily removed at the end of the study.

Then we will either 1) pass a thin plastic tube through your nose so it sits on the top of your palate (roof of the mouth) after local anesthesia in your nose, or 2) insert fine wire electrodes in your neck muscles using small hypodermic needles.

You will be asked to drink liquid barium and to eat various foods containing barium. We will record motion with videoradiography while you eat. The maximum x-ray exposure time will be five minutes. The foods will vary in consistency from hard to soft. We will ensure that you are comfortable throughout the testing. The procedure will be repeated several times.

ELIGIBILITY

Inclusion criteria

The subjects will be healthy adults (age 18 to 85 years old) who have good overall health including healthy teeth, and have no history of difficulty with eating or swallowing.

Both sexes and a range of ethnic and racial groups will be included.

Exclusion criteria

pregnancy

abnormal bleeding or blood clotting

serious illness of any kind including, but not limited to, neurological disease, surgery of the head and neck

history of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or other gastrointestinal disturbance

use of medications that impair swallowing or oral function

allergy to local anesthetics, bananas, cookies, or chicken

history of difficulty swallowing

history of HIV disease

CONTACT INFORMATION

For further information and to make an appointment,