The study conducted by The Children's Hospital Westmead confirmed what had long been suspected — that SIDS victims were unable to wake themselves up — but it went one step further by providing the why.
The enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) plays a major role in the "brain's arousal pathway" and was found at "significantly lower" levels in babies who die of SIDS.
"Babies have a very powerful mechanism to let us know when they are not happy," Lead researcher and Honorary Research Fellow Dr Carmel Harrington said.
"Usually, if a baby is confronted with a life-threatening situation, such as difficulty breathing during sleep because they're on their tummies, they will arouse and cry out.
"What this research shows is that some babies don't have this same robust arousal response.
"Now that we know that BChE is involved, we can begin to change the outcome for these babies and make SIDS a thing of the past."
The enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) plays a major role in the "brain's arousal pathway" and was found at "significantly lower" levels in babies who die of SIDS.
"Babies have a very powerful mechanism to let us know when they are not happy," Lead researcher and Honorary Research Fellow Dr Carmel Harrington said.
"Usually, if a baby is confronted with a life-threatening situation, such as difficulty breathing during sleep because they're on their tummies, they will arouse and cry out.
"What this research shows is that some babies don't have this same robust arousal response.
"Now that we know that BChE is involved, we can begin to change the outcome for these babies and make SIDS a thing of the past."
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