By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Do You Know What’s in Your Pain Pill?
    May 11, 2011
    Depression and Diabetes Linked
    June 23, 2011
    Positive Health and the Heart
    July 28, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: SIDS Linked to Brainstem Abnormalities
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > News > SIDS Linked to Brainstem Abnormalities
NewsSpecialties

SIDS Linked to Brainstem Abnormalities

Susan Scutti
Last updated: November 14, 2013 9:11 am
Susan Scutti
Share
0 Min Read
Sudden infant death syndrome research
SHARE

Sudden infant death syndrome research“The baby looks normal during the day; there’s nothing that would tell you that baby is going to die of SIDS that night.” With these words recorded in a 

Sudden infant death syndrome research“The baby looks normal during the day; there’s nothing that would tell you that baby is going to die of SIDS that night.” With these words recorded in a press release, Hannah C. Kinney, who has studied sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) for more than 20 years, describes every parent’s worst fear. Currently, she and a team of researchers are continuing to explore a link between abnormalities in an infant’s brain stem and SIDS. Specifically, having compared brainstem samples from infants dying of SIDS and infants dying from other causes, she believes SIDS may be associated with a low production of serotonin in the brainstem.

Past and Present Focus

Sudden and unexplained death is a leading cause of infant mortality. Each year in the U.S., about 4,000 infants die of no immediately obvious cause, and about half of these deaths are attributed to SIDS. Unexplained though such deaths may be, research has suggested that certain sleep environments increase the risk for SIDS. For example, parents should avoid placing an infant in any situation that may increase the risk of asphyxiation, such as sleeping face down or with a blanket close to the face.

In a study published two years ago, Kinney and her team of researchers focused on an analysis of serotonin levels in the brainstem. During sleep, serotonin in the brainstem helps regulate some of the body’s involuntary actions, such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. To conduct their study, the team obtained tissue samples of brainstems from autopsies conducted by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office in California. Then they measured the levels of serotonin and tryptophan hydroxylase, the enzyme that helps make serotonin, in 35 infants who died from SIDS as well as two control groups consisting of infants who died from other causes.

The serotonin levels in the lower brainstem of infants who died of SIDS were 26 percent lower compared to the control infants. Additionally, tryptophan hydroxylase levels were nearly 22 percent lower. For the team of scientists, this discovery led to a desire for further exploration.

Knowing that infants are exposed to different levels of the potential for asphyxiation — some situations may include more “smothering triggers” than others — Kinney and her team decided to test the hypothesis that infants with severe deficiencies of serotonin and other neurochemicals succumb to death even without smothering triggers — such as sleeping face down — whereas infants with only intermediate or borderline deficiencies of neurochemicals will not succumb to death unless smothering triggers are present. For the present study, then, Kinney and her team went back to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office and classified all the cases of infant death into categories based on whether potential asphyxia stressors had been present at the time of death or not.

The researchers did not prove their hypothesis. Although neurochemical abnormalities were present for both the SIDS infants who died in the presence of smothering triggers and SIDS infants who died in the absence of smothering triggers, no differences existed in the levels of neurochemicals between the two groups. That said, both groups had significantly lower levels of serotonin than the control infants who died of causes other than SIDS. In other words, the researchers continued to see a link between SIDS and an abnormal level of serotonin in the brainstem, but they did not find a link between the severity of serotonin deficiency and smothering conditions.

In conclusion, the researchers recommended that parents always remove SIDS risk factors when putting down their infants for the night. All infants under the age of 12 months should be placed on their backs to sleep. Their cribs should contain a firm mattress but no toys, no soft pillows, no extra blankets, and no excessive clothing.

Sources: Randall BR, Paterson DS, Kinney HC, et al. Potential Asphyxia and Brainstem Abnormalities in Sudden and Unexpected Death in Infants. Pediatrics. 2013.

Duncan JR, Paterson DS, Kinney HC, et al. Brainstem serotonergic deficiency in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. JAMA. 2010.

(photo: shutterstock)

TAGGED:SIDS
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

portion control tips
ObesitySpecialties

Curbing Cravings: 6 Tips for Stopping Accidental Overeating

July 2, 2021
Image
Global HealthcareMobile HealthNews

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Barcelona – Interview With Jorge Juan Fernandez

April 9, 2012

What Orthopedic Patients Want this Holiday Season

December 10, 2015

Pharma: Funding R&D: High Prices, Overuse A Failed Strategy

May 14, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?