Pneumonia is the third-leading cause of death in Japan, recently surpassing people who die of a stroke. While it’s uncommon for healthy people to die of infectious pneumonia, aspiration pneumonia, an infection from food or liquid being breathed into the airways or lungs instead of being swallowed, can be fatal for the elderly.
A technology that decodes brain signals by artificial intelligence can potentially help those with swallowing disorders. And researchers at Osaka University are the first in the world to trial how it might work.
Swallowing involves voluntary and involuntary actions. After sufficient chewing, food enters the pharynx (throat) which autonomously transports it into the oesophagus by the pharynx reflex — a largely ‘automatic’ movement. Voluntary movements are mostly controlled by the top part of the brain (the cerebrum). Involuntary movement is controlled in the brainstem, near the base of the skull. How these two parts of the brain interact to produce swallowing was largely a mystery.
