The Role of Serotonin in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

At a rate of 0.5 deaths per 1000 live births, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains the leading cause of postneonatal infant mortality in the U.S. SIDS is theorized to be caused by the interaction of multiple factors (triple-risk model): a critical developmental period, underlying intrinsic risk factors, and exogenous stressors (JW Pediatr Adolesc Med Aug 19 2009). The authors of this study analyzed the role of one intrinsic risk factor — abnormalities of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) receptor binding.

Investigators collected tissue samples from the brain medullary system from 41 infants who had died from SIDS, 7 infants who had died acutely from other known causes (controls), and 5 hospitalized infants who had chronic oxygena…