A study performed on the brain tissue of babies who have died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) show serotonin levels being 26% lower than in babies who died from other causes.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter secreted by the brain to regulate sleep and heart rate. Babies who are not getting enough oxygen during sleep are usually able to wake up and cry or move their heads to allow for increased oxygen intake. The babies with deficient serotonin levels are not aroused from sleep to make these adjustments.
Autopsies performed on SIDS babies have not shown conclusive evidence of cause of death until this study. The risk for SIDS lasts until a child turns one, according to the American SIDS Institute, and it is a diagnosis of exclusion, assigned only once all known and possible causes of death have been ruled out.
The study, performed at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston, was published in the February 3, 2010 edition of Journal of the American Medical Association.
No Test is Available
Researchers say they are still decades away from finding a physical marker of a brainstem problem, and currently there is no test to determine which babies may be at risk for low serotonin levels. But the new evidence will lead to further research to explain why this occurs in some infants.
Protect Your Baby
Incidence of SIDS has decreased by 50% since 1983, but still effects 2,500 infants annually in the United States. To ensure safety during sleep, practice these risk-reducing tips:
- Place babies on their backs on a firm crib mattress.
- Do not over-bundle them; overheating may increase the risk for SIDS.
- Remove blankets, pillows, bumper pads, stuffed animals, and positioning devices from crib.
- Keep the crib in the parent’s room until the baby is at least 6 months of age.
- Breastfeed whenever possible as breast milk decreases the occurrence of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, and studies show a lower SIDS rate among breast-fed babies.
- Put the baby to sleep with a pacifier.
- Turn a fan on in the baby's room to circulate air.
- Do not smoke around the baby.
- Some parents highly recommend the Angelcare Baby Monitor which uses sound devices and under-the-mattress movement detection pads. An alarm is triggered when no movement or sound is detected for 20 seconds.
SIDS deaths do not usually occur with any symptoms or warning signs. Share these tips with all caretakers of the baby, and prevent the heartache of SIDS through education.
Sources:
CJ Foundation for SIDS (accessed February 12, 2010).
National Center for Biotechnology Information. The Brainstem and Serotonin in the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (accessed February 12, 2010).
American SIDS Institute (accessed February 12, 2010).
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