How baby's first breath triggers life-saving changes in the brain

How baby’s first breath triggers life-saving changes in the brain

There are few moments in life as precious, as critical and as celebrated as a baby’s first breath. New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine sheds light on the lifelong changes in breathing systems that occur precisely with that first breath—and may offer important insights into sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. A team of researchers led by UVA’s Dr. Yingtang Shi, Patrice Guyenet and Douglas A. Bayliss have discovered a signaling system within the brainstem that activates almost immediately at birth to support early breathing. That first gasp that every parent cherishes appears to trigger this support system.