Fatigue in Patients with ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a disease of the nervous system that affects muscle function throughout the body. Over time, most people with ALS have swallowing problems, which can result in difficulty eating, weight loss, and aspirating food or drink into the lungs. Evidence suggests that breathing exercises can improve swallowing in patients with other diseases, but little is known about the use of breathing exercises in patients who have ALS.

The purpose of this study is to help find out if breathing exercises result in immediate swallowing fatigue that can lead to shortness of breath or choking in people who have ALS, and to find out if a small noninvasive sensor attached to the neck can measure swallowing fatigue in people who have ALS. Researchers hope their findings lead to a better understanding of how breathing exercises affect people with ALS and better recommendations for the use of breathing exercises in the future.

• Ages 18 and up
• Diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Able to eat and drink all foods/liquids, and do not avoid any food/liquids due to difficulty swallowing
• Not allergic to barium
• Not oxygen dependent
• No tracheostomy/mechanical ventilation use
• No history of other neurological or respiratory disorders
• No history of smoking
• No history of head and neck cancer or other major head/neck surgery or radiation therapy

Participation in this study involves 2 in-person visits that will take about 1. 5 hours each. Participants will be asked to fill out questionnaires, perform breathing and swallowing tests, complete breathing exercises while wearing a small sensor attached to the neck, and undergo an x-ray swallow study.