Medical researchers are beginning to suspect that babies who succumb to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) may have lower levels of serotonin in their brains. Serotonin is a hormonal neurotransmitter linked to many of the body's functions, including the sleep cycle. This lack of serotonin is thought to possibly hamper a sleeping baby's ability to wake up if their safety is threatened by lower levels of oxygen. Research will continue in this area and much more needs to be done before it is fully understood, but this is a big step forward.
Future research may include seeing if there is a way to identify newborns with lower levels of serotonin.
The full article is available to read online until March 8, 2011, from the National Institute of Health.
