Tongue Exercise Boosts Motor Neurons in ALS Model
Mizzou researchers found tongue training increased activity in surviving motor neurons in a preclinical study.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Stroke
University of Missouri researchers reported on May 12, 2026, in the Journal of Neurophysiology that tongue exercise increased the activity of surviving motor neurons in a preclinical model of ALS. The benefits have been demonstrated only in that model, not in people.
Why it matters
ALS currently has no cure, and loss of tongue control can make swallowing difficult and interfere with breathing during sleep. The findings suggest remaining neurons may be able to compensate for those lost to disease, a possibility rooted in the nervous system's capacity to adapt.
The study was published in Journal of Neurophysiology on May 12, 2026, and the stub provides no quantitative effect size for the increase in neuron activity. Whether tongue exercise produces comparable benefits in humans has not been established.
The players
University of Missouri
A public research university in Columbia, Missouri, whose researchers conducted the study on tongue exercise and neuron activity.
Nicole Nichols
An associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri who coauthored the study.
Mizzou's NextGen Precision Health
A University of Missouri collaboration platform that the research team identified as a vehicle for future clinical trials.
The details
Researchers at the University of Missouri, including coauthor Nicole Nichols, an associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, found that tongue exercise increased the activity of surviving motor neurons in a preclinical model. The researchers plan to advance the approach toward human clinical trials within the next several years, and identifying the underlying biological mechanisms could eventually support medications that reproduce the effects of exercise.
Timeline
May 12, 2026: Study published in Journal of Neurophysiology.
Within the next several years: Researchers plan to advance toward human clinical trials.
Big Picture
The study builds on the neuroplasticity research tradition, examining whether the nervous system's capacity to adapt can be harnessed through targeted exercise in motor neuron disease. It sits within the University of Missouri's NextGen Precision Health effort to move laboratory findings toward clinical trials.
For people living with ALS, the findings point to a possible future where targeted tongue training could help preserve swallowing and breathing function. Any such treatment remains years from availability, and the current evidence comes only from a preclinical model.
The takeaway
Tongue exercise has shown promise only in laboratory models so far, so people with ALS should continue to rely on established care while researchers test whether the approach works in humans.
What happens next
Researchers hope to advance tongue exercise toward human clinical trials within the next several years, though no specific trial dates have been set.
Further reading
For related coverage of neurological conditions, see the Stroke section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SciTechDaily.
