Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect the balance, movement and muscle tone of the patient. It mainly develops in the part of the brain which controls the motor skills of a person. When this part of the brain is underdeveloped or damaged at childbirth or in early childhood, then the child finds it difficult to control muscles and movements.
Although this is not a progressive disease, the symptoms and its effects may worsen with age. The symptoms are also varied and may differ in patients. Hence, conventional treatment for this disease depends on an individual’s symptoms.
There are mainly three types of cerebral palsy – spastic, dyskinetic and ataxic cerebral palsy. These cerebral palsy types affect the body and the muscle tone by damaging the part of the brain responsible for their development. At times, some patients show a combination of these cerebral palsy conditions.
Symptoms of cerebral palsy
Although the type of damage to the brain may differ from individual to individual the disabilities are mostly similar.
Children with cerebral palsy have:
1. Less or no muscle coordination to perform voluntary movements (seen in ataxia)
2. Tight or stiff muscles with exaggerated movements/reflexes (seen in spasticity)
3. One or both legs/arms may experience weakness
4. An abnormal gait
5. Abnormal muscle tone (stiff/loose)
Apart from affecting movement and coordination of the child, cerebral palsy also causes subnormal intellectual development, seizures, delayed growth and impaired vision and hearing.
Causes of cerebral palsy
An injury or malfunction in the portion of the brain, which controls muscles, can result in the development of cerebral palsy in children. The child may be affected during pregnancy or after childbirth.
Some causes of cerebral palsy are:
1. Insufficient oxygen supply in fetal stage
2. Injury/infection during pregnancy
3. Premature birth complications
4. Unusual shape or abnormal development of brain structure
5. Genetic mutations of brain cells
Cerebral palsy treatment with stem cell therapy
Stem cell therapy is one of the most comprehensive treatment methods that have been newly discovered. Stem cells are template cells, which can develop into other types of cells that are required in the body.
Cerebral palsy treatment at NeuroGen aims to:
1. Prevent abnormally fast death of neuron cells
2. Help to generate new blood vessels
3. Allow ideal cell multiplication and integration
At NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy treatment has helped over 92% of the patients with a safe and effective treatment method.
