Swallowing dysfunction (dysphagia) is a common problem after neurological diseases, with potentially life-threatening consequences including dehydration, malnutrition, aspiration and pneumonia, posing a substantial burden on healthcare resources. Exploring how the brain and swallowing muscles interact therefore becomes key to understanding the factors that can lead to dysphagia in disease states such as stroke. In my talk, I will first cover how the pharynx/swallowing is controlled by central pathways using brain imaging and brain stimulation based approaches. I will then examine how these neurophysiological pathways can be disrupted following neurological disease, and finally I will touch on how these pathways can be manipulated by neurostimulation to rehabilitate swallowing after neurogenic dysphagia associated with stroke and other neurological disorders.