Evidence for cellular cause of SIDS found

Evidence for cellular cause of SIDS found

CHICAGO, -- University of Chicago scientists say they've
found a disturbance of a specific neurochemical might lead
to sudden infant death syndrome. The researchers describe
what happens during hypoxia when levels of the hormone
serotonin are disturbed in the specific group of neurons
shown to be responsible for gasping, which resets the
normal breathing pattern for babies. Sudden infant death
syndrome is the primary cause of death before age 1 in the
United States. Approximately 3,000 infants die each year
from SIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. "This confirms our previous studies," said
lead author Jan-Marino Ramirez, a professor of organismal
biology and anatomy. "Now we've just better defined the
players in the system." In a paper published last year in
the journal Neuron, Ramirez found sodium-driven pacemaker
cells controlled gasping. That work in tissue slices was
confirmed in a study published last month by University
of Bristol researchers who found the same results in rats.
The research appears in the March 8 issue of the Journal
of Neuroscience.