Abnormal brain cells cause difficulty swallowing in children

image of the brain trunk of a newborn mouse, the motor neurons that contract their tongues are marked green and the motor neurons that stick out their tongues are marked red. Photo Source: George Washington University
Recently, neuroscientistes at Virginia Tech university and George Washington University in the United States said that inactive brain cells that control key parts of the mouth and tongue can lead to difficulty swallowing in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The paper was published online
.
In a study of a child genetic disorder called DiGeorge syndrome using mouse models, scientists found that brain cells called motor neurons, which directly control tongue muscles, activate spontaneously and are out of step with the mechanisms that control their activity.
finding ways to soothe motor neurons responsible for moving the tongue may help improve conditions in young children with difficulty swallowing, eating or sounding, but scientists say more research is needed before treatments can be developed.
"We continued to study the activity of motor neurons that control movement in key parts of the mouth, tongue, and pharynx, which are destroyed by the same mechanisms and cause genetic neurodevelopmental disorders." "Our goal is to understand the causes of these symptoms so that we can help children as early as possible," said study co-researcher Androny-Samuel LaMantia, a professor at the Fralin Institute for Biomedical Research. Up
up to 80% of children with developmental disabilities experience eating, chewing or swallowing food problems that can lead to food misuse, asphyxia or life-threatening respiratory infections.
, the researchers tracked the target muscles of the DiGeorge syndrome mouse model, tagged each class of motor neurons, and recorded their electrical properties. Compared to normal mice, the motor neurons responsible for the movement of the tongue before and after the tongue in the DiGeorge syndrome model spontaneously stimulate, and the excitable impulses are not balanced by inhibited reactions.
results, increased excitability of motor neurons affects the compression and movement of the tongue muscles, threatening the food intake efficiency and gas channel safety of infants and young children. (Source: Lu Yi, China Science Journal)
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