Tongue may hold clues to detect, track motor neurone disease: Study

New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS) Scanning MRI of a person’s tongue may help in the early detection and ongoing monitoring of Motor Neurone Disease (MND), a neurodegenerative disease, according to a study.

Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia found that people living with MND, also known as ALS, who have difficulty speaking or swallowing tend to have smaller tongue muscles.

This could serve as an early indication of neurodegenerative disease, said Dr Thomas Shaw from the varsity’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

“There are eight interconnected muscles in our tongues, each with a different role, allowing us to eat, swallow, and speak. But for someone with a motor neuron disease, the tongue muscles -- like many others in the body -- progressively weaken and sadly, waste away,” Shaw said.

“Being able to detect and track this symptom early would help patients and clinicians, especially with interventions like early access to clinical trials,” he added.

While studying tongue muscles inside the mouth of a person living with MND has traditionally been difficult and invasive, the team examined more than 200 historical MRI scans, including some of people living with MND, for the study.

“Applying a combination of AI-assisted and advanced imaging techniques, we were able to get precise measurements of tongue muscle volume and shape,” Shaw said.

“Cross-sectional comparisons showed significant differences between the scans of people with MND and those without,” he added.

The research, published in Computers in Biology and Medicine, confirmed previous study findings which showed people whose MND symptoms occur in the mouth, tongue, throat, and neck muscles have a shorter survival time compared to those with an onset of symptoms in their limbs.

Speech pathologist Dr Brooke-Mai Whelan from UQ’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences said the tongue was a complex organ, executing thousands of precisely coordinated movements every day, which are only noticed when they begin to fail.

“Understanding which specific tongue muscles waste away in MND will help us develop strategies to compensate, including modifying the person’s speech patterns to rely on unaffected muscle groups,” he said.

--IANS

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