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Occurrences of Yawn and Swallow are Temporally Related

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Abstract

Yawning is a stereotyped motor behavior characterized by deep inhalation and associated dilation of the respiratory tract, pronounced jaw opening, and facial grimacing. The frequency of spontaneous yawning varies over the diurnal cycle, peaking after waking and before sleep. Yawning can also be elicited by seeing or hearing another yawn, or by thinking about yawning, a phenomenon known as “contagious yawning”. Yawning is mediated by a distributed network of brainstem and supratentorial brain regions, the components of which are shared with other airway behaviors including respiration, swallowing, and mastication. Nevertheless, the possibility of behavioral coordination between yawning and other brainstem-mediated functions has not been examined. Here we show, with a double-blind methodology, a greater-than-fivefold increase in rest (saliva) swallowing rate during the 10-s period immediately following contagious yawning elicited in 14 adult humans through the viewing of videotaped yawn stimuli. Sixty-five percent of yawns were followed by a swallow within 10 s and swallows accounted for 26 % of all behaviors produced during this post-yawn period. This novel finding of a tight temporal coupling between yawning and swallowing provides preliminary evidence that yawning and swallowing are physiologically related, thus extending current models of upper airway physiology and neurophysiology. Moreover, our finding suggests the possibility that yawning plays a role in eliciting rest swallowing, a view not considered in previous theories of yawning. As such, the present demonstration of a temporal association between yawning and swallowing motivates a re-examination of the longstanding question, “Why do we yawn?”.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by funding from Nihon University School of Dentistry (KA), the Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RM), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (RM).

Conflict of interest

We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5B9, Canada

    Kimiko Abe, Sarah E. M. Weisz, Rachelle L. Dunn, Martina C. DiGioacchino, Jennifer A. Nyentap, Seta Stanbouly, Julie A. Theurer & Ruth E. Martin

  2. Nihon University School of Dentistry, 1-8-13 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo, 101-8310, Japan

    Kimiko Abe

  3. London Health Sciences Centre, 800 Commissioners Road East, PO Box 5010, London, ON, N6A 5W9, Canada

    Julie A. Theurer

  4. Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, Medical Sciences Building, Room M407, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada

    Yves Bureau

  5. Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5B9, Canada

    Julie A. Theurer, Rebecca H. Affoo & Ruth E. Martin

  6. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, Medical Sciences Building, Room 216, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada

    Sarah E. M. Weisz & Ruth E. Martin

  7. Department of Otolaryngology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London Health Sciences Centre-Victoria Hospital, Western University, 800 Commissioners Road East, London, ON, N6A 5W9, Canada

    Julie A. Theurer & Ruth E. Martin

  8. Lawson Research Institute, London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care, 750 Base Line Road, London, ON, N6C 2R5, Canada

    Yves Bureau

  9. Department of Psychology, Social Science Centre, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5C2, Canada

    Yves Bureau

  10. Elborn College, Western University, Rm. 1510, London, ON, N6B 1H1, Canada

    Ruth E. Martin

Authors
  1. Kimiko Abe
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  2. Sarah E. M. Weisz
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  6. Seta Stanbouly
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  9. Rebecca H. Affoo
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  10. Ruth E. Martin
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Correspondence to Ruth E. Martin.

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Abe, K., Weisz, S.E.M., Dunn, R.L. et al. Occurrences of Yawn and Swallow are Temporally Related. Dysphagia 30, 57–66 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-014-9573-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-014-9573-2

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