Latest Research
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The number of babies who die of sudden infant death syndrome has been reduced by approximately 50% over the last 20 years, thanks to a campaign urging parents to put babies to sleep only on their backs. But SIDS is still the leading cause of death in babies between one month and one year old. New research from a team led by a Children's Hospital Boston neuropathologist sheds light on a possible biological cause, pinpointing low Serotonin levels in the brain that might account for babies who suddenly and unexpectedly die during their sleep. The findings, published in the February 2010 Journal of the American Medical Association, build on previous work that scientists hope will one day lead to a test and treatment. http://www.boston.com/community/moms/articles/2010/02/02/scientists_link_serotonin_deficit_to_sids/ http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/03/sids.serotonin/index.html http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202171811.htm Although this is a huge breakthrough in finding a way to prevent SIDS deaths, according to Dr. Hannah Kinney, the physician who pioneered the research, "We are closer than we have been, but we still have quite a journey to go, to test and then identify it in the living infant and then to have a treatment for it," she said. "Those are long-term goals and we know we are years away from them." Since there is still no way to indentify infants at high risk for SIDS, Kinney emphasized avoiding known risk factors parents can control, such as bed sharing, soft bedding, and smoking while research on the biological causes of SIDS continue.
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| A potential biological cause for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) |
| Defective serotonin pathways in the brainstem may increase infants' vulnerability...Click here for full details |
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