The Relationship Between Lesion Localization and Swallowing Disorders

Swallowing disorders (dysphagia) include difficulty in swallowing and controlling saliva, as well as feeding difficulties. These disorders affect all age groups from newborns to the elderly and can be the result of congenital abnormalities, damage of anatomical structures that affect swallowing, as well as various medical conditions. Dysphagia may be acute (eg. stroke) or may progress over time (eg. tumors and progressive neurological diseases). Numerous regions participate in the act of swallowing and they include precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, premotor zone, the supplementary motor area, operculum, insula, precuneus, prefrontal cortex, temporal lobe, cerebellum, brainstem, the frontal lobe, association areas, thalamus, and basal ganglia. It is extremely important to understand the swallowing process in order to further give an adequate approach in the treatment of disorders of this function.