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Immediate Effects of Sensorimotor Training in Airway Protection (smTAP) on Cough Outcomes in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Feasibility Study

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Abstract

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a high prevalence of dysphagia, cough dysfunction, and resultant aspiration pneumonia. Sensorimotor cough function is important for airway clearance in people with dysphagia. Upregulation of cough has been demonstrated in healthy adults and Parkinson’s disease; however, the feasibility of cough rehabilitation in PSP is unknown. We sought to assess feasibility by examining the immediate effects of a novel sensorimotor training in airway protection (smTAP) on upregulation of cough function in PSP. Fifteen individuals with PSP enrolled in this study. Baseline voluntary and reflex cough testing were completed. During smTAP, participants were presented with subthreshold capsaicin and instructed to cough with sufficient intensity to hit a target line (set 25% above baseline reflex peak cough flow) via cough airflow visual biofeedback. Twenty-five repetitions were targeted within a single session. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests compared cough airflow measures between baseline voluntary cough testing, the initial five trials of smTAP, and final five trials. Mean peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) significantly increased from initial to final smTAP trials (p < 0.001). Fourteen participants increased PEFR, with gains of more than 10% in 11 participants. Variability of PEFR (p = 0.01) and cough expired volume (p = 0.01) significantly decreased across smTAP trials. This study is the first to demonstrate the ability of people with PSP to immediately upregulate cough function, providing preliminary support for the feasibility of cough rehabilitation in this population with this novel treatment approach. Future research examining the effects of multiple sessions of smTAP on cough outcomes is warranted.

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Acknowledgements

Portions of this manuscript were presented at the Dysphagia Research Society Meeting, May 2020.

Funding

This work was funded by the Cure PSP Foundation (Grant # 644-2016-11 to Dr. Troche).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for the Study of Upper Airway Dysfunction, Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    James C. Borders, James A. Curtis, Jordanna S. Sevitz & Michelle S. Troche

  2. Division of Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Nora Vanegas-Arroyave

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  1. James C. Borders
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  2. James A. Curtis
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  3. Jordanna S. Sevitz
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Correspondence to James C. Borders.

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All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Borders, J.C., Curtis, J.A., Sevitz, J.S. et al. Immediate Effects of Sensorimotor Training in Airway Protection (smTAP) on Cough Outcomes in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Feasibility Study. Dysphagia 37, 74–83 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-021-10251-1

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