Effect of Sub-mental Sensitive Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation on Pharyngeal Muscles Control : TENSVIRT Study

NCT02170506 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 10

Last updated 2026-04-16

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Swallowing is a complex phenomenon that allows oral feeding while protecting the airway. It involves many brain areas, including primary motor and sensory areas. Its dysfunction, called oropharyngeal dysphagia is present in approximately 60% of patients with a stroke. In this case, it is conventionally translated by a swallow response time delay of the swallowing reflex.

Pathophysiology of dysphagia is explained by impairment of the dominant swallowing, function that representation center is bi-hemispheric but asymmetric (Hamdy, 1997). Half of patients with a stroke supra-tentoriel with oropharyngeal dysphagia (about 55 % of strokes) regain normal swallowing in a few weeks ( Barer, 1989). Mechanisms that determine the recovery appear to be related to a reorganization of the motor cortex intact. Patients who retain disorders are those who have not cortical reorganization.

With this in mind a team used different methods known to modulate brain plasticity, which electrotherapy with an application endo- pharyngeal sensory threshold. This stimulation increases the excitability of the cortico- bulbar reflex, which improves swallowing function in the clinical application.

The hypothesis of this work is that the transcutaneous electrical stimulation applied submental, noninvasive technique, would also have an impact on cortical plasticity may explain the improved coordination of swallowing observed in earlier studies (Verin , 2011) ( Gallas , 2010).

Conditions

  • Oropharyngeal Dysphagia
  • Deglutition Disorders

Interventions

DEVICE

Urostim 2 stimulation

Sensory transcutaneous electrical stimulation will be started for a period of 20 minutes. It is applied by means of two surface electrodes placed under chin stimulation of both sides of the center line of the preceding side. Sensory transcutaneous electrical stimulation will inhibit the cerebral control of swallowing.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University Hospital, Rouen

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Eric VERIN, Professor · University Hospital, Rouen

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2014-04-30
Primary Completion
2014-07-31
Completion
2014-07-31

Countries

  • France

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02170506 on ClinicalTrials.gov