Development of the rehabilitation of the swallowing using the mirror neuron

Research Project

Project/Area Number	18K16598
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Review Section	Basic Section 56010:Neurosurgery-related
Research Institution	Tokyo Dental College
Principal Investigator	SANJO YUSUKE 東京歯科大学, 歯学部, 非常勤講師 (60615409)
Project Period (FY)	2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000) Fiscal Year 2019: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000) Fiscal Year 2018: ¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
Keywords	ミラーニューロン / 摂食嚥下障害 / リハビリテーション / 嚥下障害 / 摂食嚥下リハビリテーション / fMRI
Outline of Final Research Achievements	In late years an elderly person increases Japan and increases the patients with dysphagia. The fifth place of the Japanese cause of death is pneumonia, and most are caused by aspiration-related pneumonia. It was aimed for development of the rehabilitation of the safe, effective swallowing. I paid attention to "the cerebral cortex neuron which rearranged the action of others as own action, and was active" called the mirror neuron,and confirmed the yes or no of the mirror neuron of the deglutition of the elderly person. The study method showed a swallowing video to an elderly person and observed a brain activity in 3T-fMRI. As a result of study, the activity of the mirror neuron was suggested in elderly people. This method is new; it was thought that could be rehabilitated.
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	嚥下障害の訓練には食物を介さない間接訓練と実際に食物を摂取する直接訓練があり、間接訓練に比較し直接訓練の方がリハビリテーションには効果的と考えられているが、誤嚥や窒息などのリスクも懸念される。そこで、安全で効果的な間接訓練の開発を目的とし、ミラーニューロンという「他者の行動を自分の行動として置き換えて活動する大脳皮質のニューロン」に着目し、高齢者の嚥下のミラーニューロンの有無を確認した。研究方法は高齢者に嚥下動画を提示し、脳活動を3T-fMRIで観察した。結果は高齢者でもミラーニューロンの活動が示唆され、この方法が新しいリハビリテーションになりうると考えられた。