Immune Function Genes in Cerebral Palsy

Project Details

Background:
Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the motor control centers of the developing brain and can occur during pregnancy (about 75 percent), during childbirth (about 5 percent) or after birth (about 15 percent) up to about age three.

Mutations in the genes that control brain development or the immune system during the first 20 weeks of gestation can keep the brain from developing normally. Infections, fevers, trauma, or other conditions that cause unhealthy conditions in the womb also put an unborn baby's nervous system at risk. In the industrialized world, the incidence of cerebral palsy is about 2 per 1000 live births.

The effects of cerebral palsy fall on a continuum of motor dysfunction which may range from slight clumsiness at the mild end of the spectrum to impairments so severe that coordinated movement is virtually impossible at the other end of the spectrum. Secondary conditions can include seizures, epilepsy, apraxia, dysarthria or other communication disorders, eating problems, sensory impairments, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and/or behavioral disorders.

Research focus:
This project is examining single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), single base changes in DNA, in genes that control the immune system. DNA has been extracted from newborn blood spots from children with and without cerebral palsy for analysis.