Shared from parkinsonsnewstoday.com.
A $1.9 million U.S. Department of Defense–funded Phase 2 clinical trial will test SwallowFIT, a targeted exercise program designed to retrain the brain’s ability to control the muscles involved in swallowing — a function often compromised in Parkinson’s disease — in active-duty service members, veterans, or their relatives who have been diagnosed with the disease.
In earlier pilot testing, SwallowFIT helped patients improve their ability to swallow. Patients reported feeling more confident during meals and experiencing fewer episodes of choking, which can occur when a loss of control over swallowing causes food to move too slowly or enter the airway.
“Even though Parkinson’s is progressive, what we found in the pilot was that patients could make real, meaningful gains,” Giselle Carnaby, PhD, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who is leading the trial, said in a university news story. “That gave us the validation to pursue a larger, controlled trial.”