[Yawning in a case with transsecting glioma of the pons (author's transl)]

A patient with ponsglioma got completely tetraplegic and plegic in all muscles innervated by the caudal brainstem nerves (locked-in syndrome). He could not open or close the mouth, but he was able to yawn. It is concluded that the motivation of yawning stems from the sleep inducing system in the region of the raphe-nuclei and is projected directly to the nuclei of the caudal brainstem nerves.