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Overview
Cerebral palsy is the result of damage occurring to the brain prior to birth, during birth or within the first few years of life. The term refers to a group of neurological disorders with similar effects, but different parts of the brain may be affected depending on the symptoms. Cerebral palsy affects body movement and flexibility, and additional problems may be present as well, including mental retardation, seizures or development delays.
Effects
Mild cases of cerebral palsy may only involve minor muscle weakness in the legs and arms. More severe cases can cause speech impairment and difficulty walking, even to the point where the person cannot speak or walk at all, while still having normal intelligence. The disorders are not progressive but are permanent. Impairment of body functions can be improved through physical and occupational therapy.
Types
Four main types of cerebral palsy are identified, and each is caused by a certain area of the brain being affected. The most common type is spastic, usually affecting the cerebral cortex, which causes stiffness or tightness of muscles, and jerky movements. Athetoid cerebral palsy causes uncontrolled and erratic movements due to midbrain damage at the basal ganglia. Ataxic, the least common, is indicated by a lack of balance and coordination along with tremors. Ataxic cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain's major center for balance, located in the cerebellum. The fourth type is mixed cerebral palsy, a combination of any of the other types.
Identification
Cerebral palsy distorts messages from the brain to the muscles, which causes increased or decreased muscle tension that results in movement and flexibility impairment. The brain also sends messages to the wrong muscles, to the right muscles at the wrong time, or does not send any at all.
Causes
The causes of specific instances of cerebral palsy are typically difficult to identify. Usually it seems to result from a diminished blood supply and lack of oxygen to the brain during the prenatal period or a severe illness such as meningitis in a young child. Extremely premature birth can cause cerebral palsy; less frequently, problems during birth can as well.
Expert Insight
A doctor can clarify which part of the brain is affected and the type of damage by viewing computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Sometimes an MRI can detect cerebral palsy in the prenatal stage or in a newborn, and a physician may advise this procedure if there is reason to think brain damage may have occurred.
