Fine Motor Skills and Post-Stroke Swallowing

Swallowing disorders are a common consequence of stroke. After stroke, some patients retain a dysphagia responsible for an alteration of the quality of life, respiratory diseases and a degradation of the general health status. The oral phase of the swallowing involves a significant control of the various intraoral organs. These allow the formation of the bolus, its propulsion, and the emptying of the oral cavity after swallowing. Precise and coordinated mobility of the tongue, lips and mandible is essential during this time. During the speech therapy after a stroke, targeted analytical training, coupled with passive stimulations of the swallowing reflex, is typically used. Previous studies have shown a functional link between fine manual motor skills and oral motor skills, particularly during child development. Little data are available for adult subjects. A pilot study is therefore needed before a larger scale comparative study can be considered. Our hypothesis is that there is a functional link between digital and oral motor areas that could, through co-activation during rehabilitation sessions, promote the recovery of swallowing disorders after stroke.