title: Pathological yawning as a presenting symptom of brain stem ischaemia in two patients.
abstract: Two cases of brain stem stroke involving the upper pons and the ponto-mesencephalic junction presented with transient excessive pathological yawning, associated with gait ataxia and in one subject with upper limb and facial hemiparesis. A causal relation is hypothesised between the brain stem lesion and pathological yawning, possibly related to denervation hypersensitivity of a putative brain stem yawn centre. Excessive yawning may herald brain stem ischaemia.
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Neurologia, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy. luigi.cattaneo@nemo.unipr.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cucurachi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chierici
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pavesi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D015000:Yawning