Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is one of the leading causes of death among newborns during the first year of their life. It most commonly occurs when they are asleep. Previously, modified serotonin (5-HT) 1A receptor binding was found in the medulla of SIDS cases. Further, 5-HT 2A/C receptor signaling was known to be involved in arousal and autoresuscitation in rodents to protect brain oxygen levels during sleep. Recently, researchers investigated whether 5-HT2A/C receptor signaling has a role in this fatal condition.
Analysis of the brain stems of 70 infants who died due to SIDS showed modified 5-HT 2A/C binding in medullary nuclei. In addition, decreased 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A/C binding was also found in some nuclei. These findings suggest a role of modified 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A/C signaling in SIDS. However, without a way to identify serotonergic abnormalities in infants,…
