Facilitation of the swallowing reflex with bilateral afferent input from the superior laryngeal nerve

•The superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) plays a major role in the swallowing reflex.•The latency of swallow decreases during bilateral stimulation of the SLN.•Bilateral afferent input from the SLN facilitates the swallowing reflex.

To determine the cooperative effect of laryngeal afferent signals on the swallowing reflex, we examined whether afferent signals originating from the left and right superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) modulates elicitation of the swallowing reflex in urethane-anesthetized rats. Mylohyoid electromyographic activity was recorded to quantify the swallowing reflex. The onset latency of the swallowing reflex and the time intervals between successive swallows were used to quantify and compare the effects of unilateral and bilateral electrical stimulations of the SLN. The mean latency of the first swallow and the mean time interval between swallows evoked with low frequency stimulation were both significantly different between unilateral and bilateral stimulations of the SLN. These findings suggest that facilitatory effect of afferent signals originating from the SLN bilaterally increase the motoneuronal activity in the medullary swallowing center and enhance the swallowing reflex.