STUDIES OF NEUROREGULATORS IN THE BRAIN-STEM OF SIDS

Some dysmaturity of neuroregulator neuronal systems may be responsible for brain stem disorders. These disorders may partly explain the mech anism of death in SIDS. The available data using microbiochemical assa ys, immunocytochemical techniques and autoradiographic methods seem to show anomalies of some monoaminergic and of some peptidergic systems, especially in the medulla oblongata. All these data need to be confir med by further studies. It should be understood that one positive effe ct of such neuroanatomical study on SIDS is to gain 'normative' data o n the human brain during development.