What research is being conducted to further explain the cause of SIDS?
A recent major breakthrough in SIDS research has provided the most concrete evidence to date that SIDS is not the mystery we once thought. Ongoing research studies by Dr. Hannah Kinney at the SIDS Center of Excellence at Harvard University have identified abnormalities in the part of the brain that controls most of a baby’s major bodily functions, including heart rate, breathing, temperature and sleep/wake patterns. Babies with this defect are not able to respond to challenges in their environment. (See Triple Risk Model below) In addition, scientists continue to explore the development and function of the brain, nervous system, heart, breathing, sleep patterns, body chemical balances, autopsy findings and environmental factors. SIDS, like other medical disorders may eventually have more than one explanation – and more than one means of prevention. More needs to be done to uncover what causes SIDS, who is at risk for the disorder and ways to lower the risk of sudden infant death. In ad
