Sudden death in young children is related to abnormalities in the brain

Sudden death in a nursing child (MSN) usually occurs in children 2 to 4 months of age. The reason may be that there is an abnormality in the part of the brain that directs activities such as sleep, breathing and body temperature.

This is the result of a study by a group of American doctors published on October 31, 2006: Dr. Hannah Kinney and Dr. Davis Peterson of Children's Hospital of Boston and Harvard University Medical University study the brains of 31 children in The breastfeeding age has died because of this syndrome and 10 children have died of other causes.

(Photo: tchdkh) Analysis conducted on the brain, the lower part of the brain stem, where doctors have discovered abnormalities in brain cells that produce and use serotonin (one of hundreds of chemicals intermediate to transmit information between neurons. Doctors believe that serotonin and the brain that produces this chemical element play an important role in coordinating breathing functions, regulating arterial pressure, and the perception of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ). like body temperature.

When the baby sleeps above the mother's abdomen, a very unfavorable position that pediatricians need to alert mothers, they will breathe more CO2 and less oxygen. According to research results published in the American Journal of Medical Association (JAMA) on October 1, 2006, for normal children, the increase in CO ₂ activates the neurons in the brain, leading to stimulation of respiratory activity. and brain activation centers to avoid choking in children. For children with anomalies in the serotonin production and use system, their breathing and waking reflexes have been negatively affected, according to Dr. Kinney, which is the key to sudden death.

Dr Kinney and Dr. Peterson hope that, from these findings, they will be able to further analyze and correct the results of experiments to diagnose abnormalities in the brain for effective treatment.

Hoang Dinh Tung (According to AFP, October 31, 2006)