Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026

A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats
Published on: June 14, 2019
Yawning as a presenting symptom of Chiari malformation Type I: report of 2 cases
Bassel Zebian1, Florence Rosie Avila Hogg1, Richard Zhiming Fu1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Atkinson Morley Wing, St. George's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Yawning is thought to be a behavior regulated by the brainstem. Although excessive yawning has been reported in brainstem strokes, demyelination, and tumors, the cases presented here are the first reports of excessive yawning in patients with Chiari malformation Type I (CM-I). The authors believe that brainstem compression at the craniocervical junction and ensuing edema were implicated in this curious symptomatology. They describe excessive yawning as a presenting feature of CM-I in 2 adolescent females. The presentation was acute in the first case and more chronic in the second. Both patients underwent foramen magnum decompression, which resulted in complete cessation of the excessive yawning.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation II: ACLS Airway Management
Narcolepsy
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Sleep Apnea
The condition is more prevalent among...
Assessment of Airway, Skin Color, and Use of Accessory Muscles
Introduction
The initial evaluation of a patient's respiratory system...
Acute Respiratory Failure-IV

