A FAULT in the neurotransmitter serotonin may help to explain some cases of sudden infant death syndrome, a discovery that might eventually make it possible to identify babies who are at risk.
Serotonin was thought to be involved in activating 鈥減acemaker鈥� cells in the medulla at the base of the brain, which prompt a suffocating baby to gasp and recover, says Jan-Marino Ramirez of the University of Chicago. 鈥淣ow we鈥檝e found that these neurons depend on serotonin, and if you take it away there鈥檚 no gasping,鈥� says Ramirez. His team studied the effect of oxygen deprivation and serotonin on mouse pacemaker cells grown in the lab (Journal of Neuroscience, vol 26, p 2623).
The results tally with earlier findings that some babies who die of SIDS have fewer receptors for serotonin than usual, says Ramirez. Other infants had mutations in genes linked with transport of serotonin.
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There is no test to identify babies at risk of SIDS. Until one is developed, Ramirez urges parents to stick to the usual advice, such as not smoking, putting babies to sleep on their backs, and preventing overheating.
