Long thought to be caused by problems at birth, researchers now say that in most cases cerebral palsy may actually originate in a person’s genes much like other developmental disabilities.
The finding, reported online in the journal The Lancet Neurology in January, comes as cerebral palsy rates have remained steady for over 40 years despite marked progress in medical care during and after birth, the researchers note.
“There is a widespread misconception that most cases of CP are caused by difficult delivery leading to birth asphyxia,” said Andres Moreno De Luca of the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania and the lead author of the paper. “What we’re finding is a growing body of evidence that suggests mutations in multiple genes are responsible for CP. In fact, we suspect these genetic abnormalities may also be the cause of some difficult births to begin with.”
Scientists already know of six genes that are associated with cerebral palsy when altered, but Moreno De Luca and his colleagues say that more will likely be identified.
Further understanding of the genetic roots of the disorder could help bring about better therapies for those with cerebral palsy, the researchers said.
I’m not sure cerebral palsy rates remaining constant is telling. My daughter with CP wouldn’t have survived long enough to get diagnosed with it, were she born 40 years ago.
Hard to believe this, frankly. How many kids with birth asphyxia do not end up with CP? How many kids with CP did not have a birth asphyxia or difficult delivery. How do the genes affect the delivery? And the other commenter is spot on. How many kids are surviving because of the availability of better care? That is clearly the case, which means the numbers must be increasing and the premise of this study is flawed. How can it be prevented. What are these genes and how are they different?
Sad news for lawyers who have made fortunes from suing OB’s , resulting in sky-high malpractice insurance and driving OB’s from the field.
Fascinating! So glad this research is being done, this could ease the minds of thousands of women who had thought that something they or their doctors did during birthing was the culprit for their children’s CP.
since decades it was said that Cerebral Palsy might be cause by genetics but never been proved may searchers like Hagberg and Hagberg and Fiona Stanley have been talking and published about the ethiopathology of cerebral palsied Child it might be also like the spina bifida a surrounding or environnement problem there are aslo some risico factors to be considered… it not so easy to say and to demonstrate it only genetics… there are much more factors to be considered
.
what is cerebral palsy? my sons Dr. once suggested he had it.
Not suprised @ the finding. Sigmund Freud, MD in the 19th Century ventured a deductive guess that Cerebral Palsy is caused by gestational development abnormalities in the brain of the fetus before birth. Anyway, I have both Cerebral Palsy & Asperger’s Syndrome/Autism. I am ok, but a couple of days ago, my “left” AFO Brace “broke” again…
I have two sons both diagnosed with developmental delays unless we can find a genetic link. We are currently undergoing genetic testing for this reason. My first son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy but with the birth of my second with the same problems it is more and more likely we have a genetic condition in our family.
Don’t know how I feel about this. My son was 7 weeks premature. During his time in the NICU he coded because a nurse wasn’t paying attention to him. He was a good size baby for a 33 week gestation, so she took it for granted he didn’t need as much supervision. Well, to make a long story short, he coded, and after that he was a very different baby. He didn’t respond to our voices like he did prior to the incident, which, was because he is hearing impaired. I don’t buy the genetic link for his case.
I find this very hard to be true knowing no one with CP or anything else in the family has problems. I was there when my son was born and saw the mistakes that was made. This study is so untrue and unfair for the parents of children with CP. More study’s needs to be done.
i do believed that this study is flawed. There are probably cases where some children have genetic issues, but kids who have near drowning, shaken baby, left in a hot car, and asphyxia KNOW without a doubt why their child has CP and some of those cases have identical characteristics of a child denied oxygen at delivery. My CP daughter had her head OUT with the amniotic sack intact and the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice, it took the doctor 20 minutes to get there from home at 2am on a Friday morning. No-one from the hospital called any other doctor, as a result my 40 week gestation baby had a brain bleed, we did NOT sue anyone and have to find our own way to pay for things on the one salary of my husband. Many more people do NOT sue than do so that is just false information.
I was recently contacted by MSU OWL Study asking if I and my children would participate in the research. Apparently, in the state of Michigan, “blood spots” taken from my children at time of birth and my prenatal blood was stored some 10 to 17 years ago. I am very careful to read details and really do not recall being made aware that my blood samples would be stored anywhere and used for any other purpose than for the prescribed testing then discarded. That aside, if genetics are a “cause” for CP then, how does one “prevent it”? Abortion? hum…also, I wonder what legal representation might be used in light of this “genetic research” to support malpractice cases for doctors? I work in the health care industry and primarily see practitioners provide good care however, I clearly could have sued my OB/GYN and at least should have reported the poor care I received…during the entire pregnancy and “delivery”…and I KNOW better. My OB NEVER made it to delivery, nor did the hospital OB…the intern assisted me despite the 1.5 hours I was there before delivery. I was personally consumed in other priorities at that time. How about health insurance concerns? If genetics present a “pre-existing condition” might there be a question as to how much if at all coverage would be provided. The study seems flawed in light that medical care has progressed for sustaining life for people with CP. Also, what benefits might the universities and researchers obtain by completing “research”? Money, notoriety, job security? I question what medical board approved of this one? I could think of an issue that would save tons of money and prevent illness… teach children AND teachers about the importance of thorough hand washing! Hand sanitizers don’t kill viruses/viri and do NOT substitute washing with water and the fiction of soap for micob removal…I still see practioners not washing their hands between patients! If the study finds a virus present that shows potential to alter genetics then now I am interested.
Invoking Freud is very dangerous indeed!
Not a very informative story. I’d like to know much more. More details please. Which genes? How are the genes different? What about better health care vs those that would have died and never gotten diagnosed?
Where can we find more information?
Whoever wrote this article in the disability scoop is absolutely wrong. This study is Flawed. My daughter’s problem was not caused by genetics. It was caused by doctors negligence. I am shocked at this study it is definately a waste of money.
I guess the key phrase here is “in most cases”. My brothers were identical twins (monozygotes) and therefore shared identical genetic make-up. One lived a life with CP and the other did not.
They were born in the early forties. The first twin, the one without CP, had an uneventful birth. The second twin was a surprise–my mother did not know she was carrying two babies. The second child was delivered with great difficulty; his consequent brain injury was so profound that he never talked, never walked, never chewed.
There may be something to the argument that CP “in most cases” has a genetic origin, but until there is a test available, until there are clear genetic markers for this disease, most people cannot know for sure why they, or their loved one, has CP.
Rates have remained steady because medical care has improved and c sections can be performed more quickly and with less problems, but drug use has skyrocketed. the drugs cause the same brain damage that the complications from birth have caused. Are there any political/economic motivations behind this one study?
Bruce Morgan MBA (With CP)
Brucemorganmba@yahoo.com
I’m American, my wife’s Chinese, been married 4 years… her brother has a mental disorder, I’m no doctor, but it’s likely cerebral palsy… I’m adding to this debate as follows: In China, the male child must have offspring (preferrably another male) my wife’s parents never got her brother checked, but it’s quite clear he’s not like other men his age: walk w/ limp, poor social skills (if any), rememeber crazy facts, ask repetative questions, poor learner, facial, eye issues, etc… anyway… the father forced him to marry a women from the country side, she only agreed because it would bring the family (somewhat) closer to living the Chinese dream… well, they wed, produced a kid, and… (here’s the sad part) the baby’s like the father, and he was diagnoised with CP today, thus I’m online now looking for fact and ran across this article– and selfishly I may add because my wife and I are still planning on having more kids, our first child (a boy) and he’s is fine and adorable… not sure how much this story ads to the journals of medical science, just something I personally witnessed and willing to share because most parents in the West wouldn’t force a child with mental retardation to reproduce. Sad.