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Updated: Aug 29, 2026
Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Published on: December 6, 2016
The correlation between tau protein in the brainstem and sleep apnea in SIDS victims
Toshiko Sawaguchi1, Franco Patricia, Hazim Kadhim
1Department of Legal Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan. tsawagu@research.twmu.ac.jp
Background:
Recently, it has been reported that neuronal plasticity in the brainstem arousal pathway is related to the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Tau protein may contribute to axonal development and neural plasticity; therefore, the correlation between tau protein in the brainstem and sleep apnea in SIDS was investigated here.
Materials And Methods:
Among 27,000 infants studied prospectively to characterize their sleep-wake behavior, 38 infants died under 6 months of age, including 26 cases of SIDS. The frequency and duration of sleep apnea were analyzed on all the infants, having been recorded during one night in a pediatric sleep laboratory some 3-12 weeks before death. The brainstem material was collected and immunohistochemistry of tau was carried out. The density of tau-positive elements was measured semiquantitatively. Correlation analyses were carried out between the density of tau-positive elements and the data of sleep apnea.
Results:
In the 26 SIDS cases, tau-positive findings were observed in the sub-pia mater in two cases, in the colloid plexus in one case, in the ependyma and subependyma in five cases, in neurons in two cases and as a general diffusion in one case. In 12 control cases, tau-positive findings were observed in the sub-pia mater in one case and in neuronal elements in three cases. No correlation was found on analysis.
Conclusions:
There was no correlation between the finding of tau in the brainstem of SIDS victims and the incidence of sleep apnea.
