How effective is stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy?

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disorder which affects body movement, posture and balance. The muscle coordination is lost, and the muscles stay tight. Damage to certain parts of the brain because of abnormal development or an injury leads to this condition.

Cerebral palsy affects thousands of children worldwide every year. A child may develop cerebral palsy in the fetal stage, after birth or even in the early years of childhood. It is basically a collective term used to describe a number of neurological conditions which affect voluntary movement and coordination in the child. Cerebral palsy treatment constitutes of rehabilitation mainly as surgery is not able to repair the damaged brain structure.

How is cerebral palsy identified?

The symptoms of cerebral palsy are similar to other types of disorder hence it takes an expertized advice to diagnose the condition as cerebral palsy. At times, the damage to the brain that develops CP is not treatable which makes the disabilities permanent.

In this condition, the children show the following symptoms:

• ·         Inability to perform voluntary movements due to lack of muscle coordination
• ·         Tightened and stiff muscles
• ·         Exaggerated reflexes
• ·         Abnormal gait/way of walking
• ·         Abnormal muscle tone floppy/stiff
• ·         Weakness in arms and legs
• ·         Inability/difficulty to speak or swallow, leading to excessive drooling
• ·         Bouts of tremors shakes and random involuntary movements
• ·         Slow development of motor skills

Apart from these symptoms, the child may also experience seizures, intellectual disability, slowed overall growth and development, hearing loss and visual impairment.

What causes cerebral palsy?

Abnormal development of certain tissues of the brain, due to an injury or other factors is known to result in the development of cerebral palsy in the child. This can also be the result of:

• Insufficient oxygen supply in the fetal stage or at birth
• Infection or injury during pregnancy
• Premature birth complications
• Neonatal encephalopathy – critical illness at birth resulting in reduced oxygen supply to brain
• Abnormal shape of the brain or its structures

How is the treatment of cerebral palsy done with stem cell therapy?

Stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy at NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute enables the regeneration of the damaged brain cells, thereby reversing the effects of the damage to a large extent.

Stem cells are able to differentiate into several other types of cells, such as glial cells, oligodendrocytes, and others, which are essential for normal functioning of the nervous system.