Motor-evoked potentials of the mylohyoid muscles and videofluoroscopic parameters were measured before and after the creation of the virtual lesion, at the end of SSTES (T0), at 30 minutes (T30) and 60 minutes (T60).
Nine subjects completed the study. After 20 minutes of SSTES, there was an increase of motor-evoked potential amplitude at 0 and 30 min (P < 0.05). There was no significant modification of videofluoroscopic measurements. Regarding the cortical mapping after SSTES, there was an increase in the number of points with a cortical response in the dominant hemisphere but also in the non-dominant hemisphere, effect which remained constant at 60 minutes (P < 0.05).
SSTES is effective on cortical plasticity for the mylohyoid muscles and reverses pharyngeal cortical inhibition in healthy subjects. It could therefore be a simple non-invasive way to treat post-stroke dysphagia.