Sudden infant death syndrome has become a little clearer to scientists

Sudden infant Death syndrome (SIDS) is the most common cause of death in infants aged 2 weeks to 1 year and accounts for 35-55% of all deaths in this age group.

Recently, this syndrome has become a little clearer to scientists. An international team of scientists led by researchers from the University of Adelaide using the autoradiography method found out that the mechanism of binding of substance P to the NK1R receptor was disrupted in children who died from SIDS. Substance P is a neuropeptide present in the brain and spinal cord, parts of the nervous system, thyroid gland, skin and muscles. It affects, in particular, the expansion of blood vessels, causes a contraction of smooth muscles and is responsible for the transmission of pain impulses to the central nervous system.

In other words, the brain of an infant with such a deviation is not always able to create a motor reaction to life–threatening moments that occur during sleep - for example, when a pillow or blanket closes the child's airways.

"And even if these children may otherwise seem completely healthy, their brain and body are not capable of the correct reaction in cases when the child for some reason lacks oxygen," explained Fiona Bright from the University of Adelaide.

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