# The Tongue Base in Respiration and Swallowing

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2021 · $341,337

## Abstract

Project Description
 The base of the tongue (posterior to the terminal sulcus) is anatomically, physiologically, and functionally
distinct from its body (from the sulcus to the tip). Whereas the tongue body subserves drinking, ingestion,
mastication, and articulation, the tongue base is part of the pharynx and controls the entrances of the larynx and
esophagus during respiration, swallowing, and vocalization. The tongue base is the primary locus for adipose
tissue accumulation in the oropharyngeal region, and its resultant volumetric increase is likely a major player in
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a serious breathing disorder affecting 20% of the population with significant
morbidity and mortality. The tongue base is also subject to conditions that decrease its volume, such as
surgical volumetric reduction (partial glossectomy) to ameliorate OSA, and more commonly to treat oral cancer
patients. Since the tongue base is where all extrinsic tongue muscles insert, adipose tissue accumulation may
not only increase its volume, but interfere with muscle contraction, affecting its ability to stabilize the
oropharyngeal airway and changing its kinematics in respiration and swallowing. It is unknown how the tongue
base and other oropharyngeal structures respond to these volumetric changes and to what extent the tongue
tissues are capable of regeneration after surgical injury or infiltration of adipose tissue. Indeed, our
understanding of the tongue base is very rudimentary compared to knowledge of the tongue body and other
skeletal muscles. The present application builds on our previous work in studying the tongue body in a large-animal
model, the miniature pig. Herein we propose to investigate the functional (respiration and swallowing) and
morphological (spatial configuration of oropharynx) consequences of the volumetric alteration of the tongue base
and to elucidate its reparative capacity through a study of its stem cell population - satellite cells. The overall
hypothesis is that volumetric increase of the tongue base aids swallowing at the expense of oropharyngeal airway
patency whereas volumetric decrease has the opposite effects. Further, we will establish the potential for myogenic
repair of the tongue base by assessing its satellite cells in comparison to other skeletal muscles, and link these
regenerative potentials to functional outcomes. The 1st Aim is to ascertain how tongue base behavior subserves
respiration and swallowing; the 2nd Aim is to evaluate how tongue base volumetric changes affect respiration,
swallowing, and the oropharyngeal space; and the 3rd Aim is to assess healing after volumetric changes of the
tongue base and to establish whether satellite cells in the tongue base enable myogenesis to repair muscle
function. The overall hypothesis is that volumetric increase of the tongue base aids swallowing at the expense of
oropharyngeal airway patency whereas volumetric decrease has the opposite effects. The outcomes will lead to
...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10229358
- **Project number:** 5R01DE028864-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Zijun Liu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $341,337
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-05 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10229358

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10229358, The Tongue Base in Respiration and Swallowing (5R01DE028864-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10229358. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*