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Case Reports
. 2006 Apr;77(4):559-61.
doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2005.068601. Epub 2005 Dec 14.

Sneeze related area in the medulla: localisation of the human sneezing centre?

M Seijo-Martínez  1 , A Varela-Freijanes, J Grandes, F Vázquez
Affiliations
Case Reports

Sneeze related area in the medulla: localisation of the human sneezing centre?

M Seijo-Martínez et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2006 Apr.

Abstract

Sneezing is a rarely explored symptom in neurological practice. In the cat, a sneeze evoking centre is located in the medulla. The existence of a sneezing centre has not been confirmed in humans. A case with abnormal sneezing secondary to a strategic infarct in the right latero-medullary region is presented. A 66 year old man suddenly presented paroxysmal sneezing followed by ataxia, right sided motor and sensory symptoms, and hoarseness. The application of stimuli to the right nasal fossa did not evoke sneezing nor the wish to sneeze. The same stimuli to the contralateral nasal fossa evoked normal sneezing. The preservation of the superficial sensitivity of the nasal fossa indicates that the lesion was localised in the hypothetical human sneezing centre, very close to the spinal trigeminal tract and nucleus. This centre appears to be bilateral and functionally independent on both sides.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: none declared

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