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Age-related composition changes in swallowing-related muscles: a Dixon MRI study

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Abstract

Background

Dysphagia is considered a social problem in the super-aging society. However, age-related changes in swallowing-related muscles have not been fully deciphered.

Aims

We aimed to identify intramuscular fatty infiltration and muscle atrophy in multiple swallowing-related muscles on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Moreover, an appropriate muscle strength parameter for the evaluation of swallowing-related muscle mass was examined.

Methods

We analyzed the Dixon MRI results of 20 elderly and 20 young adults without head and neck cancer, stroke, neuromuscular disease, or whole-body sarcopenia to evaluate intramuscular fatty infiltration (IMF) and lean muscle mass (LMM) in the tongue, geniohyoid, and pharyngeal muscles. The pharyngeal lumen size was also assessed. Tongue pressure, jaw-opening strength, occlusal force, and head-lifting strength were evaluated within a week before and after MRI.

Results

Aging significantly affected the IMF of the swallowing-related muscles, and the tongue muscle was most affected, followed by the pharyngeal muscle and then the geniohyoid muscle. Only the LMM of the geniohyoid muscle significantly decreased with aging. The pharyngeal lumen size did not significantly differ between the elderly and young participants, and only tongue pressure was significantly correlated with tongue, geniohyoid, and pharyngeal muscle mass.

Conclusions

IMF is primarily associated with age-related composition changes in swallowing-related muscles, and it is commonly observed in the tongue and pharyngeal muscles. The geniohyoid muscle is more at risk of muscle atrophy rather than fatty infiltration. In addition, tongue pressure can be a parameter for the evaluation of swallowing-related muscle mass.

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Funding

This study was partly supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI [17K11927]).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation, Hyogo College of Medicine College Hospital, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan

    Yuta Nakao & Shota Saito

  2. Department of Rehabilitation, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan

    Yuta Nakao

  3. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan

    Yuki Uchiyama, Taiji Yamashita & Kazuhisa Domen

  4. Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan

    Kosuke Honda

  5. Department of Rehabilitation, Matsuyama Rehabilitation Hospital, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan

    Taiji Yamashita

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  1. Yuta Nakao
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Contributions

YN, YU, KH, TY, and KD contributed to study conceptualization and data curation. YN and SS contributed to the analysis of MRI findings. All authors contributed to writing, reviewing, and editing of the original draft. KD contributed to the final approval of the article.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuki Uchiyama.

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There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethics approval and informed consent

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hyogo College of Medicine. Informed consent was obtained with an opt-out option on the website because of the retrospective nature of the study.

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Nakao, Y., Uchiyama, Y., Honda, K. et al. Age-related composition changes in swallowing-related muscles: a Dixon MRI study. Aging Clin Exp Res 33, 3205–3213 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-021-01859-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-021-01859-2

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