US scientists believe they may have found one of the causes of sudden cot death in babies, which claims the lives of thousands of infants every year. An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS may be caused by brain stem abnormalities. Cot death babies apparently have a reduced ability to use and recycle serotonin which influences breathing, impairing their reflexes.

As a result, babies with the condition can be smothered in their own bedclothes, especially if they sleep on their stomachs. However, scientists that may not be the only cause, adding that much more research is needed into cot death.

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