Figure 1.

Fluoroscopic assessment of feeding and swallowing. (A) A mouse confined within a test chamber (asterisk) positioned in lateral view within our miniature fluoroscope. Representative radiographic images of a mouse voluntarily drinking liquid contrast from a bowl (B) and eating barium extruded kibble held in the forepaws (C), with jaw tracking markers positioned on the upper (yellow) and lower (blue) jaw using our JawTrack™ software. Representative plots showing automated tracking of jaw open/close motion during drinking (D) and eating (E), with labeled events of interest. Green and red dots indicate when the jaw is maximally opened vs. closed, respectively. Pink shaded box indicates region of interest for analysis (2 s for drinking, 20 s for eating), starting with a swallow event (pink line). Gray dashed box distinguishes rotary chewing from incisive biting patterns during eating. ILI, inter-lick interval; ISI, inter-swallow interval; PTT, pharyngeal transit time. Radiographic calibration marker (black line) = 10 mm.