EMG signals based modelling of the initial phase of the swallowing process

Recently the number of people with swallowing disorders (dysphagia) is increasing. Therefore, efforts are needed to support the swallowing process of dysphagia patients. In order to assist the swallowing process, understanding the initial phase is important. As the first step of development, we analyzed muscle activities related to the initial phase of the swallowing process. In this research, muscle activities were measured using surface electromyography (EMG) and swallowing activities were recorded with videofluoroscopy (VF). From this analysis, we found two peaks in the EMG signals of suprahyoid muscles. Masseter muscle activity was also registered before the first peak of the suprahyoid muscle's activity. By comparing between the VF and the EMG waveforms, we concluded that the activities of those muscles point to the initial phase of the swallowing process. Finally, we developed a model to estimate the initial phase of the swallowing process based on the results.