Scientists prevent cerebral palsy-like brain damage in mice

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that a protein may help prevent the kind of brain damage that occurs in babies with cerebral palsy.

Using a mouse model that mimics the devastating condition in newborns, the researchers found that high levels of the protective protein, Nmnat1, substantially reduce damage that develops when the brain is deprived of oxygen and blood flow. The finding offers a potential new strategy for treating cerebral palsy as well as strokes, and perhaps Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The research is reported online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more

Study finds magnesium sulfate may offer protection from cerebral palsy

SAN FRANCISCO (February 10, 2011) — In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in San Francisco, researchers will present findings that showed that in rats, the use of magnesium sulfate (Mg) significantly reduced the neonatal brain injury associated with maternal inflammation or maternal infection.

Read more

Babies born past term associated with increased risk of cerebral palsy

While preterm birth is a known risk factor for cerebral palsy, an examination of data for infants born at term or later finds that compared with delivery at 40 weeks, birth at 37 or 38 weeks or at 42 weeks or later was associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy, according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA.

Read more

Cell transplants may benefit children with cerebral palsy

Contact: David Eve
celltransplantation@gmail.com
Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair
Tampa, Fla. (April 19, 2010) – A unique cell type that supports and surrounds (ensheathes) neurons within the nose (olfactory system) known as olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), possess the ability to regenerate, are relatively easy to obtain, and have become prime candidates for transplantation to repair a number of lesions in the central nervous system (CNS). Transplanted OECs, known to retain exceptional plasticity and promote olfactory blood vessel growth while offering neuroprotection, have been demonstrated to be potentially useful for a number of neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and amyotrophc lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Read more

Incidence of cerebal palsy on rise in United States

Contact: Nora Plunkett
nplunkett@lumc.edu
708-216-6268
Loyola University Health System Read more

Bell’s palsy: Study calls for rethink of cause and treatment

Drugs widely prescribed to treat facial paralysis in Bell’s palsy are ineffective and are based on false notions of the cause of the condition, according to Cochrane Researchers. They say research must now focus on discovering other potential causes and treatments.

Read more

Debate on admin. of magnesium sulfate to pregnant women to prevent cerebral palsy in pre-term infants

June issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology explores topic

New York, New York, June 29, 2009 – Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most prevalent chronic childhood motor disability with an estimated lifetime cost of nearly $1 million per individual. There is evidence that magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) can reduce the incidence of CP for very early preterm infants. Many thousands of pregnant women and their fetuses are exposed to MgSO4 every year in the United States for a variety of indications, and most obstetricians are comfortable with its use. Yet, there is still some controversy over whether magnesium sulfate is truly protective against CP. In three articles published in the June 2009 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the authors shed some light on the debate.

Read more

Compounds may protect against cerebral palsy

Chemists at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., say two compounds they developed may be effective in protecting against cerebral palsy.

“The results were just stunning, absolutely amazing,” study leader Richard B. Silverman said in a statement. “There was a remarkable difference between animals treated with a small dose of one of our compounds and those that were not.”

Read more

Study finds magnesium prevents cerebral palsy

Doctors still can’t definitively say how it helps, but they know that magnesium given to pregnant women before they deliver prematurely cuts down on the chances of their baby developing cerebral palsy.

Read more

Multiple corticosteroid injections in pregnant women may increase cerebral palsy

When pregnant women are at high risk for preterm birth, giving them a single injection of corticosteroids has been shown to reduce the baby’s chances of having serious lung problems after birth.

But some women receive multiple injections of corticosteroids, and a new study shows that repeat courses of corticosteroids are linked to an increased rate of cerebral palsy among children of these mothers.

Read more