Originally published August 15 2005
Scientists discover why some people die in their sleep
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Scientists have found that an accumulation of cells in a person's brain can cause sleep apnea, leading to death while they are sleeping.
hey say a cumulative loss of cells in the area of the brain that controls breathing is to blame - triggering a condition called central sleep apnoea.
The researchers had previously pinpointed a region of the brainstem they dubbed the preB�tzinger complex (preB�tC) as the command post for generating breathing in mammals.
They had also identified a small group of cells within this area as being responsible for issuing the commands.
In the latest study, they injected rats with a compound to kill more than half of these cells - and then monitored the animals' breathing patterns.
When the animals entered the rapid eye movement phase of sleep - when dreaming occurs - they stopped breathing completely, and were jolted into consciousness in order to start again.
Lead researcher Professor Jack Feldman said: "We speculate that our brains can compensate for up to a 60% loss of preB�tC cells, but the cumulative deficit of these brain cells eventually disrupts our breathing during sleep.
The UCLA team believes that central sleep apnoea may pose a particular risk to elderly people, whose heart and lungs are already weaker due to age.
They also suspect the condition strikes people suffering the late stages of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.
These people often have breathing difficulties during sleep, and the researchers believe their bodies eventually reach a point where they are unable to rouse themselves from sleep when they stop breathing.
The UCLA team plans to analyse the brains of people who die from neurodegenerative diseases to determine whether these patients show damage in their preB�tzinger complexes.
Frank Govan, of the UK Sleep Apnoea Trust, told the BBC News website that previous work had linked cot death to obstructive sleep apnoea - caused by collapse of the airways.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml