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Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation frequency on muscles of the tongue

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for the treatment of swallowing disorders is delivered at a variety of stimulation frequencies. We examined the effects of stimulation frequency on tongue muscle plasticity in an aging rat model. Methods: Eighty-six young, middle-aged, and old rats were assigned to either bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulation at 10 or 100 Hz (5 days/week, 8 weeks), sham, or no-implantation conditions. Muscle contractile properties and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) composition were determined for hyoglossus (HG) and styloglossus (SG) muscles. Results: Eight weeks of 100-Hz stimulation resulted in the greatest changes in muscle contractile function with significantly longer contraction and half-decay times, the greatest reduction in fatigue, and a transition toward slowly contracting, fatigue-resistant MyHC isoforms. Discussion: NMES at 100-Hz induced considerable changes in contractile and phenotypic profiles of HG and SG muscles, suggesting higher frequency NMES may yield a greater therapeutic effect. Muscle Nerve, 2018.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)441-448
Number of pages8
JournalMuscle and Nerve
Volume58
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2018
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords

  • aging
  • neuromuscular electrical stimulation
  • rodent model
  • stimulation frequency
  • swallowing disorders
  • tongue musculature

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