Possible cause for SIDS discovered by scientists.
A new study suggests that some of the unexplained deaths of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) may be caused by an abnormality in the medulla, which connects the brain stem and the spinal cord. The study found abnormalities in a particular receptor in the medulla oblongata, part of the lower brain stem that regulates autonomic and respiratory function, in a subset of SIDS infants. Babies with this abnormality are at greater risk in unsafe sleep conditions, such as prone sleep and bedsharing, when the levels of oxygen around the infant’s airway may be lower than normal. Safe sleep habits, such as putting babies to sleep on their backs on a firm, flat surface, are key to prevention.