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SIDS Linked to Low Levels of Serotonin – 3
Narrator: This is NIH Health Matters. The brains of infants who die of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS, produce low levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that conveys messages between cells and plays a vital role in regulating breathing, heart rate, and sleep. Dr. Marian Willinger at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development explains recent study findings.
Dr. Willinger: In SIDS babies, they had lower levels of serotonin in about 26 percent lower level, in the brain stem. They also had lower levels of an enzyme called tryptophan hyroxylase, which makes serotonin. So their ability to make serotonin was reduced.
Narrator: For details on this study and SIDS, visit www.nichd.nih.gov. Health Matters is produced by the National Institutes of Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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