Jump to full article: AAP (Australian Associated Press) (au), 2010-02-04
Author: DANNY ROSE
Intro: An Australian-led study has confirmed a lack of serotonin was a common factor with babies who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
The breakthrough offers a "much clearer direction" in the search for a cure for the mysterious syndrome, which still claims one in 2,000 apparently healthy children.
Researcher Dr Jhodie Duncan, of the Melbourne-based Florey Neuroscience Institutes, studied cases of infant deaths from confirmed SIDS and other causes.
The SIDS babies were found to have lower levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter which regulates the body's basic life-sustaining functions.
"Things like heart rate, blood pressure, sleep cycles, respiration, serotonin plays a very important role in all these things that you need to stay alive," Dr Duncan told AAP. . . .
The research also provides a new insight into another of SIDS known risk factors - women who smoke during pregnancy or smoking in a home with a newborn.
Exposure to nicotine was also known to affect serotonin levels in the body, Dr Duncan said.
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