Italy- The cause of Sudden Infant death syndrome has never been exactly pinpointed, but researchers have discovered that the absence of an important brain chemical may increase the risk of the disease in infants.
Reporting in the latest issue of Science journal the researchers working in Italy have found that interrupted levels of Serotonin led to sudden death in many of the research mice under observation.
The mice that were being studied also experienced altered levels of temperature and heart rate that resembles the changed experienced by human infants often just before they expire from SIDS.
This new model is important, as it appears to shed new light on the whole study of SIDS and the factors that may contribute to its formation.
“Causing brain and brainstem serotonin disruption shows that death can occur,” said Marian Willinger.
Dr. Willinger is a SIDS expert with the US National Institute of Children’s Health and Human Development.
“We are excited that this research may help us understand what leads to infants being at higher risk, and help to know what to do to prevent infants from dying from SIDS,” said Dr. Willinger.
Ironically the Italian researchers were not examining the issue of SIDS at all but instead they were examining brain chemicals and serotonin levels in mice.
But in their course of study several issues developed that resemble how SIDS forms in infant humans and the research has shown that the information obtained can potentially benefit current SIDS research being undertook elsewhere.