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How can yawning help us to understand TS?

Posted on 11 September 2017

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Experts at the University of Nottingham have published research that suggests the human propensity for contagious yawning is triggered automatically by primitive reflexes in the primary motor cortex — an area of the brain responsible for motor function.

Their study — ‘A neural basis for contagious yawning’ — has been published in the academic journal Current Biology. It is another stage in their research into the underlying biology of neuropsychiatric disorders and their search for new methods of treatment.

Their latest findings found that people with TS had increased cortical excitability in the motor area. Contagious yawning can tell us about TS. Therefore this could tell us more about TS and potential treatments.

 

You can read more about the research here, and watch an interview with lead researcher Beverly Brown


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How can yawning help us to understand TS?

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