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Skip Navigation LinksHome > Research > Disease Research Areas > Cerebral Palsy
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Cerebral Palsy 
 

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the name given to a group of related conditions resulting from damage to the brain, or faulty brain development—specifically, in the areas that control movement. CP can result in movement deficits or difficulties from mild to severe—from a slight lisp and barely-noticeable slackness in muscle tone to severe movement difficulties or distortions of limb movements (spasticity). 

 Hope Center Scientists and Clinicians who Work on Cerebral Palsy

Janice E. Brunstrom M.D.
Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics; Director of the Pediatric Neurology Cerebral Palsy Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital

Motor disorders arising from injury to the developing brain

Mark P. Goldberg M.D.
Professor of Neurology, Neurobiology, and Biomedical Engineering; Director of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders

Mechanisms of ischemic injury and recovery in white matter axons and glia.

David M. Holtzman M.D.
Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and Chairman of Neurology; Professor of Molecular Biology; Hope Center Steering Committee

Cellular/Molecular/Biomarkers studies of Alzheimer's disease and neonatal brain injury.

Eugene M. Johnson Ph.D.
Professor of Neurology and Developmental Biology; Hope Center Steering Committee

Biological function and pharmacological potential of GFL neurotrophic factors

Liu Lin Thio M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Glycine receptors in the central nervous system

 

 Read about Hope Center research on Cerebral Palsy
Janice Brunstrom
Janice Brunstrom applies new approaches to cerebral palsy
Hope Center faculty member Janice Brunstrom, M.D. has fought many battles in her life, but her greatest cause may be correcting common misconceptions about cerebral palsy. Dr. Brunstrom is associate professor of neurology and pediatrics and director of the Pediatric Neurology Cerebral Palsy Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. Read More >
David Christopher Brooks Cerebral Palsy Research Fund established at Washington University
When David Christopher Brooks was 4 months old, his mother noticed that he wasn’t moving his arms and legs and kept his hands balled up into fists. Read More >
New approaches to protect brains of premature infants
April 11, 2007 -- A study of how the brain of a premature infant responds to injury has found vulnerabilities similar to those in the mature brain but also identified at least one significant difference, according to neuroscientists and neonatologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Read More >
Jan Brunstrom highlights visual problems of cerebral palsy children
Hope Center investigator, Dr. Jan Brunstom, was featured in a recent story about the importance of correcting visual defects in children with cerebral palsy. Dr. Brunstrom directs the Washington University Pediatric Neurology Cerebral Palsy Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Read More >
Janice Brunstrom 
Janice E. Brunstrom, MD, and cerebral palsy patient Emma Price demonstrate martial arts moves for karate instructor Charlie Walton.

Washington University Sites

Information About Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy may be congenital, or acquired after birth. Congenital CP usually reveals itself before age three. Babies with CP may be slow to roll over, sit, crawl, walk, talk, or develop fine motor skills.

Cerebral palsy is not progressive. If symptoms worsen, or other symptoms appear, the problem may be something other than CP.

Nearly 800,000 adults live with some degree of CP in the U.S., and about 10,000 babies are born with it each year.

How is cerebral palsy diagnosed?

Parents are often the first to notice when their babies fail to reach developmental milestones, such as sitting up, rolling over, or learning to crawl or walk. CP babies may have unusual posture, favor one side, or have abnormally slack or rigid muscle tone.

If doctors suspect CP, they evaluate a child’s motor skills and take a close look at the child's medical history. A doctor also has to rule out other disorders that could cause similar symptoms. A comprehensive medical history, special diagnostic and brain-imaging tests, and repeated check-ups can help rule out other disorders. A doctor must determine that the child’s condition is not getting worse over time, since cerebral palsy by definition is not progressive.

What causes cerebral palsy?

In the 1980s, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) funded a study of more than 35,000 newborns and their mothers that challenged the belief (still widespread) that injuries to the fetus before or during birth accounted for most cases of cerebral palsy. It now appears that no single cause explains CP, and the study confirmed birth complications in no more than ten percent of cases.

What are some promising research directions?

Researchers are looking at many possible causes of the damage that results in CP, including genetic factors, environmental and dietary factors, and injuries from infections such as German measles.


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