Breathing and feeding are essential for life. In humans, there is a separation of the airway and food way, but food has to pass across the airway to be ingested. Dr. Hiiemae's lab focuses on mechanical linkages of feeding and respiration, and how these behaviors are integrated in order to protect the human airway during the transmission of food to the esophagus and stomach. Many persons who have suffered strokes lose their ability to swallow and have to be tube-fed. We are hoping that a much better understanding of the mechanisms and control of oro-facial complex will help us devise new approaches to treatment and rehabilitation for these conditions, and improve the quality of life for such patients. Current studies are examining changes in respiratory rhythm with the onset of feeding, which requires analysis of movements of jaw, tongue, soft palate, and hyo-laryngeal complex, as well as movement of air from thorax through pharynx to the nasal cavities, using electromyography (EMG), and video fluorography (VFG) techniques. Speech is also dependent on modulation of movement in pharynx, oral, and nasal cavities as well as change in tongue and oral cavity shape.

Karen Hiiemae, Ph.D Professor of Biomedical & Chemical Engineering. (Skeleto-muscular systems, Biomechanics, Neural Control) Email: Webpage: http://www.isr.syr.edu/faculty/hiiemae.html