Khaberni - A team of scientists has uncovered information on an ancient scientific mystery associated with a benign physical function. According to the Australian site SBS, yawning may assist in cleansing the brain and regulating its temperature, according to the results of an imaging study published by the University of New South Wales and the Neuroscience Research Foundation in Australia.
Adam Martinac, a researcher involved in the study, said: "It was an exploratory study that later turned into something tangible," as the research team initially conducted an MRI study on spinal cord deformities.
He added, "During some of the imaging sessions, there was an opportunity to study yawning, then something interesting was observed, so it was decided to turn it into a comprehensive study."
For a long time, previous researchers focused on the respiratory aspect of yawning. Martinac said that "people were put in a room where the oxygen levels were changed to see if that would stimulate yawning, but it seems that it did not happen. Therefore, this surprised everyone."
Fluid Movements
Professor Lynn Bilstown, who led the research, said the results indicate that yawning plays a role in cleansing brain fluid, which likely occurs just before sleep. The cerebrospinal fluid is a fluid that protects the brain and spinal cord from injury.
When someone yawns, slightly cooler blood enters the brain, compensating for the outflow of blood and cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting that the mechanism of yawning may help prevent an increase in brain temperature.
Thomas Kalinski, a neurologist and director of the Center for Neuroimmunology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne, who wasn’t involved in the study, believes it has led to new, unexpected, and interesting findings.
Yawning Footprints
It turned out that each of the 22 participants, aged between 18 and 72, had unique yawning movements. Martinac says this phenomenon is preliminarily called "yawning footprint," explaining that it's "similar to a fingerprint, so a person can be recognized just by looking at the way they yawn."
Although human embryos can also yawn in early stages of development, it is unknown if the yawning footprints in adults are distinctive due to genetic or social factors.
Significant Implications
Although the results of the study provide early evidence of one of the ancient body mysteries, the researchers emphasized that the findings are preliminary and many questions still remain.
Martinac said: "Yawning remains very mysterious, despite being a primitive process preserved through evolution. It is known that crocodiles yawn, so it is believed that dinosaurs might have yawned as well."
However, Kalinski clarified that "yawning is different from just breathing. It would be interesting to better understand the evolutionary reason behind yawning."
Martinac concluded saying there is a need for more research, given the importance of the early findings, especially since "neurodegenerative diseases are associated with the accumulation of waste in the brain, and this waste increases as humans age."
