July 8th, 2008
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This news item is more than a year old. Links, graphics, content, medical information, and statistics may be out of date. We invite you to search, visit our homepage, or contact us to find more current information on the topic you're looking for.Clue to why some die during sleep
BBC News, Monday, 8 August 2005
Scientists believe they may have solved the mystery of why some people stop breathing fatally in their sleep.
They 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.
However, they believe many such deaths in elderly people are misdiagnosed as heart failure.
More information on sleep apnea
Reference:
Sleep-disordered breathing after targeted ablation of preBötzinger complex neurons
Leanne C McKay, Wiktor A Janczewski & Jack L Feldman
Nature Neuroscience Published online: 7 August 2005; | doi:10.1038/nn1516