Figure 3.

Tritiated‐nicotinic receptor binding in the brainstem nuclei in the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and control groups stratified by history of maternal smoking status and controlling for postconceptional age (mean ± SEM). In the (A) locus coeruleus (P = 0.039), (B) periaqueductal gray (P = 0.005) and (C) raphé dorsalis (P = 0.011), there is a significant reduction in ³H‐nicotinic binding in control infants whose mothers smoked during pregnancy (n = 4) compared with control infants not exposed to maternal smoke (n = 2). Significant differences in binding are not found between SIDS infants exposed to cigarette smoke and SIDS infants not exposed.