Medical Hypotheses
Volume 58, Issue 3 , Pages 232-236 , March 2002

A serotonin malfunction hypothesis by finding clear mutual relationships between several risk factors and symptoms associated with sudden infant death syndrome

  • N. Okado

      Affiliations

    • Correspondence to: N. Okado, Neurobiology Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan. Phone: +81 298 53 6961; Fax: +81 298 53 6960; E-mail:nokado@md.tsukuba.ac.jp
  • ,
  • M. Narita
  • ,
  • N. Narita

Received 30 April 2001 ,Accepted 9 July 2001.

References 

  1. Kinney HC, Filiano JJ, Harper RM. The neuropathology of the sudden infant death syndrome. A review. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1992;51:115–126
  2. Arita H, Sakamoto M, Hirokawa Y, Okado N. Serotonin innervation patterns differ among the various medullary motoneuronal groups involved in upper airway control. Exp Brain Res. 1993;95:100–110
  3. Hilaire G, Bou C, Monteau R. Serotonergic modulation of central respiratory activity in the neonatal mouse: an in vitro study. Eur J Pharmacol. 1997;329:115–120
  4. Cramer H, Water J-M, Renaud B, Krieger J, Marescaux CH, Hammers R. Cerebrospinal fluid adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and homovanillic acid in patients with sleep apnea syndrome. J Neurol Neurosurg Psych. 1981;44:1165–1167
  5. Sparks DL, Hunsaker JR. 3d. Sudden infant death syndrome: altered aminergic-cholinergic synaptic markers in hypothalamus. J Child Neurol. 1991;6:335–339
  6. Panigrahy A, Filiano J, Sleeper LA. Decreased serotonergic receptor binding in rhombic lip-derived regions of the medulla oblongata in the sudden infant death syndrome. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2000;59:377–384
  7. Narita N, Narita M, Takashima S, Nakayama M, Nagai T, Okado N. Serotonin transporter gene variation is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome in Japanese population. Pediatrics. 2001;107:690–692
  8. Lesch K-P, Mosser R. Genetically driven variation in serotonin uptake: is there a link to affective spectrum, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative disorders?. Biol Psychiatry. 1998;44:179–192
  9. Gelernter J, Kranzler H, Coccaro EF, Siever LJ, New AS. Serotonin transporter protein gene polymorphism al. and personality measures in African American and European American Subjects. Am J Psych. 1998;155:1332–1338
  10. Filiano JJ, Kinney HC. A perspective on neuropathologic findings in victims of the sudden infant death syndrome: the triple-risk model. Biol Neonate. 1994;65:194–197
  11. Hedner J, Lundell KH, Breese GR, Mueller RA, Hedner T. Developmental variations in CSF monoamine metabolites during childhood. Biol Neonate. 1986;49:190–197
  12. Cornwell AC, Feigenbaum P, Kim A. SIDS, abnormal nighttime REM sleep and CNS immaturity. Neuropediatrics. 1998;29:72–79
  13. Fornal CA, Jacob BL. Physiological and behavioral correlates of serotonergic single unit activity. In:  Osborne N,  Hamon M editor. Neuronal Serotonin. New York: Wiley; 1998;p. 305–345
  14. Sowards KA. What is the leading cause of infant mortality? A note on the interpretation of official statistics. Am J Public Health. 1998;89:1752–1754
  15. Thordstein M, Hedner T. Cerebral and adrenal monoamine metabolism in the growth-retarded rat fetus under normoxia and hypoxia. Pediatr Res. 1992;31:131–137
  16. Franco P, Groswasser J, Hassid S, Lanquart JP, Scalliet S, Kahn A. Prenatal exposure to cigarette smoking is associated with a decrease in arousal in infants. J Pediatr. 1999;135:34–38
  17. King JA, Davila-Garcia M, Azmitia EC, Strand FL. Differential effects of prenatal and postnatal ACTH or nicotine exposure on5-HT high affinity uptake in the neonatal rat brain. Int J Dev Neurosci. 1991;9:281–286
  18. Ford RP, Hassall IB, Mitchell EA. Life events, social support and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1996;37:835–840
  19. Slotkin TA, Barnes GA, McCook EC, Seidler FJ. Programming of brain stem serotonin transporter development by prenatal glucocorticoids. Dev Brain Res. 1996;93:155–161
  20. Vege A, Rognum TO. Inflammatory responses in sudden infant death syndrome–past and present views. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 1999;25:67–78
  21. O'Kusky JA, Boyes BE, Walker DG, McGeer EG. Cytomegalovirus infection of the developing brain alters catecholamine and indoleamine metabolism. Brain Res. 1991;559:322–330
  22. Guo ZM, Qian C, Peters CJ, Liu CT. Changes in platelet-activating factor, catecholamine, and serotonin concentrations in brain, cerebrospinal fluid, and plasma of pichinde virus-infected guinea pigs. Lab Anim Sci. 1993;43:569–574
  23. Pletnikov MV, Rubin SA, Schwartz GJ, Carbone KM, Moran TH. Effects of neonatal rat borna disease virus (BDV) infection on the postnatal development of the brain monoaminergic systems. Dev Brain Res. 2000;119:179–185
  24. Dunn AJ, Wang J, Ando T. Effects of cytokines on cerebral neurotransmission. Comparison with the effects of stress. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1999;461:117–127
  25. Douglas AS, Helms PJ, Jolliffe AT. Seasonality of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by age at death. Acta Paediatr. 1998;87:1033–1038
  26. Saadi AT, Gordon AE, MacKenzie DA. The protective effect of breast feeding in relation to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): I. The effect of human milk and infant formula preparations on binding of toxigenic Staphylococcus aureus to epithelial cells. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 1999;25:155–165
  27. Gordon AE, Madani O, Weir DM, Busuttil A, Blackwell C. Cortisol levels and control of inflammatory responses to toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1): the prevalence of night-time deaths in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 1999;25:199–206
  28. Guntheroth WG, Spiers PS. Thermal stress in sudden infant death: Is there an ambiguity with the rebreathing hypothesis?. Pediatrics. 2001;107:693–698
  29. Fleming PJ, Azaz Y, Wigfield R. Development of thermoregulation in infancy: possible implications for SIDS. J Clin Pathol. 1992;45:17–19
  30. Won S, J , Lin MT. 5-Hydroxytryptamine receptors in the hypothalamus mediate thermoregulatory responses in rabbits. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1988;338:256–261
  31. Kahn A, Blum D. Phenothiazines and sudden infant death syndrome. Pediatrics. 1982;70:75–78
  32. Kahn A, Blum D. Phenothiazines and sudden infant death syndrome. Pediatrics. 1982;70:75–78
  33. Weissbulth L, Weissbulth M. Sudden infant death syndrome: a genetically determined impaired maturation of the photoneuroendocrine system. A unifying hypothesis. J Theor Bol. 1994;167:13–25
  34. Kahn A, Hasaerts D, Blum D. Phenothiazine-induced sleep apneas in normal infants. Pediatrics. 1985;75:844–847
  35. Kohlendorfer U, Kiechl S, Sperl W. Living at high altitude and risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Arch Dis Child. 1998;79:506–509
  36. Prioux-Guyonneau M, Mocaer-Cretet E, Redjimi-Hafsi F, Jacquot C. Changes in brain 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism induced by hypobaric hypoxia. Gen Pharmacol. 1982;13:251–254
  37. Jeffrey HE, McCleary BV, Hensley WJ, Read DJ. Thiamine deficiency–a neglected problem of infants and mothers–possible relationships to sudden infant death syndrome. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 1985;25:198–202
  38. Mousseau DD, Rao VL, Butterworth RF. Alterations in serotonin parameters in brain of thiamine-deficient rats are evident prior to the appearance of neurological symptoms. J Neurochem. 1996;67:1113–1123
  39. Matsushita H, Takeuchi Y, Kosaka K, Fushiki S, Kawata M, Sawada T. Changes in serotonergic neurons in the brain of pyrithiamine-induced acute thiamine-deficient mice. Acta Neuropathol. 1999;98:614–621
  40. Hobara R, Yasuhara HA. Erythrocytosis in thiamine deficient rats. Jpn J Pharmacol. 1981;31:985–993
  41. Le C, Coquerel A, Chevallier F. Erythropoietin blood level is increased in sudden infant death. Biol Neonate. 1999;76:1–9
  42. Yoldi A, Sena F, Gutierrez L. Prolongation of the QT interval and the sudden infant death syndrome. N Engl J Med. 1998;339:1162–1163
  43. Matturri L, Ottaviani G, Ramos SG, Rossi L. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A study of cardiac conduction system. Cardiovasc Pathol. 2000;9:137–145
  44. Krous H F. The microscopic distribution of intrathoracic petechiae in sudden infant death syndrome. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1984;108:77–79
  45. Korobkin R, Guilleminault C. Neurologic abnormalities in near miss for sudden infant death syndrome infants. Pediatrics. 1979;64:369–374
  46. Sturner WQ, Lynch HJ, Deng MH, Gleason RE, Wurtman RJ. Melatonin concentrations in the sudden infant death syndrome. Forensic Set Int. 1990;45:171–180
  47. Obonai T, Asanuma M, Mizuta R, Horie H, Tanaka J, Takashima S. Evidence of brain ischemia in early neonatal sudden death syndrome. Neuropediatrics. 1997;28:145–148
  48. Nuoffer JM, de L, Costa C. Familial neonatal SIDS revealing carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency. Eur J Pediatr. 2000;159:82–85
  49. Kelmanson I A. Evidence for retarded kidney growth in sudden infant death syndrome. Pediatr Nephrol. 1996;10:683–686
  50. Zehender M, Meinertz T, Hohnloser S. Incidence and clinical relevance of QT prolongation caused by the new selective serotonin antagonist ketanserin. Multicenter Ketanserin Research Group. Clin Physiol Biochem. 1990;8:90–100
  51. Kelly HG, Fay JE, Laverty SG. Thioridazine hydrochloride: its effect on the electrocardiogram and a report of two fatalities with electrocardiographic abnormalities. Can Med Assoc J. 1963;89:546–549
  52. Nebigil CG, Choi DS, Dierich A. Serotonin 2B receptor is required for heart development. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2000;97:9508–9513
  53. Takahashi T, Berger AJ. Direct excitation of rat spinal motoneurones by serotonin. J Physiol (Lond). 1990;423:63–76
  54. Tempesta E, Janiri L, Pirrongelli C. Stereospecific effects of acetylcarnitine on the spontaneous activity of brainstem neurones and their responses to acetylcholine and serotonin. Neuropharmacology. 1985;24:43–50
  55. Kim J, Lee GS, Tisher CC, Madsen KM. Role of apoptosis in development of the ascending thin limb of the loop of Henle in rat kidney. Am J Physiol. 1996;271:F831–F845
  56. Kasho M, Sakai M, Sasahara T, Anami Y, Matsumura T, Takemura T, et al. Serotonin enhances the production of type IV collagen by human mesangial cells. Kidney Int. 1998;54:1083–1092
  57. Frankfurt M, O'Callaghan J, Beaudet A. 5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine injections increase glial fibrillary acidic protein in the hypothalamus of adult rats. Brain Res. 1991;549:138–140

PII: S0306-9877(01)91483-5

doi: 10.1054/mehy.2001.1483

Medical Hypotheses
Volume 58, Issue 3 , Pages 232-236 , March 2002