Sids study American researchers are closer to developing a cure for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome after identifying an important brain defect in its young victims.
The researchers at the Boston Children's Hospital believe the problem is related to the brain chemical 'serotonin' which regulates breathing, body temperature and blood pressure. They compared autopsy results of babies who died of SIDS with infants who died of other causes and found that in the SIDS babies, the serotonin system was missing. They say this causes the baby not to wake up because the serotonin system doesn't sense carbon dioxide or low oxygen. Doctors believe this explains why smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy leads to a greater risk of SIDS, because it alters the same brain area. http://www.skynews.com.au/health/story.asp?id=138793
