IADR Abstract Archives

Occurrences of Yawn and Swallow are Temporally Related

Objective: Yawning and swallowing are mediated by brainstem circuits and recruit the upper aerodigestive tract musculature. Yawning may be associated with increased salivation, which in turn may elicit swallowing. Therefore, this study tested the hypothesis that occurrences of yawning and swallowing are temporally related.

Method: Contagious yawning was evoked in 14 healthy adults (mean ± SD age: 25.1 ± 3.3 years; 8 female) who were blinded to the study hypothesis. Following a pre-treatment baseline period, the subjects viewed videotaped images of human yawning or mouth-opening (i.e., gape) during 2 experimental conditions, each followed by a baseline period: (1) yawn video viewing, (2) post-yawn-video baseline, (3) gape video viewing, and (4) post-gape-video baseline. Lateral-view video images of the subject’s head, neck and torso, as well as laryngeal and respiratory movement and neck acoustic signals, were recorded throughout all baseline and treatment conditions. Two blinded, trained judges independently analyzed the video data for all motor behaviors; swallows identified from the video analysis were subsequently verified through blinded physiologic data analysis.  

Result: The number of yawns produced during the entire experimental protocol of ~60 min was 12.6 ± 8.3 (mean ± SD). Overall, 82% of yawns were followed by a swallow within 10 seconds, with a yawn-swallow latency of 4.4 ± 1.7 seconds (mean ± SD). Moreover, the swallowing rate during the 10-second period immediately following yawning was approximately five times greater than the swallowing rate calculated over the remaining periods during which yawning did not occur (4.1 ± 1.4 versus 0.8 ± 0.4 swallow/min, means ± SD, p<0.001).  

Conclusion: These findings establish that occurrences of yawning and swallowing are temporally related. Therefore, stimulation of yawning may have potential as a clinical approach to facilitating swallowing in dysphagic populations.

IADR/LAR General Session
2012 IADR/LAR General Session (Iguaçu Falls, Brazil)
Iguaçu Falls, Brazil
2012
220
Neuroscience
  • Abe-saito, Kimiko  ( Nihon University School of Dentistry and The University of Western Ontario, Tokyo, N/A, Japan )
  • Weisz, Sarah  ( The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada )
  • Aupperle, Rachelle  ( The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada )
  • Digioacchino, Martino  ( The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada )
  • Stanbouly, Seta  ( The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada )
  • Theurer, Julie  ( The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada )
  • Bureau, Yves  ( Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada )
  • Martin, Ruth  ( University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada )
    • Oral Session
    Keynote Address, Basic and Animal Research
    06/20/2012