Oral Function and Swallowing Laboratory
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Dysphagia, difficulty swallowing, is a common disorder associated with multiple medical problems such as stoke, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), traumatic brain injury, head and neck malignancies, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis among others. Dysphagia has been described as a predictor of disability, institutionalization and mortality. Malnutrition and pneumonia can be a result of swallowing disorder and are also predictors of poor outcomes. Our main goal is to improve the rehabilitation of individuals that experience swallowing dysfunction ultimately improving their quality of life and participation in society.
Effective dysphagia rehabilitation requires a broad understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of feeding and swallowing. Research in our laboratory focuses on the motor control of mastication and swallowing, the neural control of swallowing function and the factors that affect the development of dysphagia after a stroke.
Our current projects focus on: 1) determining the temporo-spatial coordination among the structures in the oral cavity and pharynx during feeding and swallowing in humans; 2) determining whether the proportion of stroke patients experiencing dysphagia differs among racial groups; and 3) determining the location and coordination of the brain areas that control swallowing and their relationship to dysphagia severity and recovery.
Our laboratory is equipped to perform synchronous digital videofluorography (VFG), electromyography (EMG), and respiratory monitoring (plethysmography).
- Tongue-jaw linkage in human feeding <Research Volunteers Needed!>
- Racial Disparities in the Development of Dysphagia after Stroke
- Stroke Localization and the Development of Post-Stroke Dysphagia
- Jeffrey B. Palmer, M.D., Lawrence Cardinal Shehan Professor and Director, (410) 502-2446, jpalmer@jhmi.edu
- Peggy Foltyn, Research subject coordinator, (410) 502-2446, PFOLTYN at jhmi.edu
- Marlis Gonzalez-Fernandez, M.D., Instructor, (410) 502-4457, mgonzal5 at jhmi.edu
- Koichiro Matsuo, D.D.S., Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Laboratory manager, (410) 502-4468, kmatsuo1 at jhmi.edu
- Hiromichi Metani, M.D., Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellow, (410) 502-4471, hmetani1 at jhmi.edu
- Don-kyu Kim, M.D., Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellow, (410) 502-4471, dkim104 at jhmi.edu
- Chune Yang, Research Assistant, (410) 502-4454, CYANG at jhmi.edu
Collaborators:
- Rebecca Z. German, Ph.D., M.Sc, Professor and Vice-Chair for Research, (410) 502-4461, rgerman2 at gw.johnshopkins.edu
- Karen Hiiemae, DDS, PhD, , Deceased
- Eiichi Saitoh, MD, DMSc, Professor and Chairman, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
1. Peer-refereed publications
2. Abstracts
Metani H, Matsuo K, Hiiemae KM, Mays K, Palmer JB: Linkage of soft palate and jaw movements in feeding. Presented at 15th annual meeting of the DRS, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2007. Dysphagia 22:381, 2007.
Matsuo K, Yokoyama M, Saitoh E, Baba M, Palmer JB: Eating and swallowing foods with various consistencies: the effect of aging and stroke. Presented at 18th Congress of International Association for Disability and Oral Health (IADH), Göteborg, Sweden, 2006. Journal of Disability and Oral Health 7:89, 2006.
Won the award of best research project by junior practitioner.
Matsuo K, Palmer JB, Hiiemae KM: Volitional control of bolus transport during feeding. Presented at 14th annual meeting of the DRS, Scottsdale, AZ, 2006. Dysphagia 21: 294, 2006.
Yokoyama M, Matsuo K, Palmer JB, Saitoh E, Baba M, Fujii W, Ozeki Y, Mikushi S: Coordination of feeding and swallowing in hemispheric stroke. Presented at 14th annual meeting of the DRS, Scottsdale, AZ, 2006. Dysphagia 21: 315, 2006.
Gonzalez-Fernandez M, Kuhlemeier KV, Palmer JB: Post-Stroke dysphagia: Racial difference in the state of New York. Presented at 14th annual meeting of the DRS, Scottsdale, AZ, 2006. Dysphagia 21: 330, 2006.
Matsuo K, Hiiemae KM, Palmer JB: Cyclic Motion of the Soft Palate During Feeding. Presented at the annual meeting of the Dysphagia Research Society (DRS), San Francisco, CA, 2003. Dysphagia 20:68, 2005.
Matsuo K, Palmer JB: Tongue surface, jaw, and hyoid motion during feeding and speaking: Linear regression analysis. Presented at the annual meeting of the DRS, San Francisco, CA, 2003. Won second prize, contest for best poster presentation. Dysphagia 20:78, 2005.
Mays KA, Palmer JB, Kuhlemeier KV: Craniofacial Morphology and Hyoid Movement: A Correlational Study. Presented at the annual meeting of the DRS, San Francisco, CA, 2003. Won first prize for best oral presentation. Dysphagia 20:69, 2005.
Palmer JB, Matsuo K, Hiiemae KM: Control of airflow during bolus aggregation in the oropharynx. Presented at the annual meeting of the DRS, Montreal, 2004. Dysphagia 20:350, 2005.
Yamamoto T, Matsuo K, Fujii W, Baba M, Saitoh E, Kawai M, Palmer JB: Initiation of Swallowing in Parkinson’s Disease: Eating vs. Drinking. Presented at the annual meeting of the DRS, Montreal, 2004 and published in Dysphagia 20:378, 2005.
Kuhlemeier KV, Palmer JB, Palmer S, Gregory PC, Knoll C: Asians Are at Increased Risk for Dysphagia after Stroke. Presented at the annual meeting of the DRS, Montreal, 2004. Dysphagia 20:377, 2005.
Dr. Koichiro Matsuo, Laboratory manager
Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Church Professional Office Building, Suite 403
98 North Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231 USA
Phone: 410-502-4468
Fax: 410-502-4900
Email: kmatsuo1 at jhmi.edu
