Effects of functional disruption of lateral pericentral cerebral cortex on primate swallowing.

Bilateral cold block of the intracortical microstimulation (ICMS)-defined swallow cortex markedly affected the ability of monkeys to carry out swallowing. Significant changes also occurred in swallow-related electromyographic (EMG) activity patterns. These findings provide further evidence that the lateral pericentral cortex plays a critical role in the initiation and regulation of swallowing in the primate.