Cerebral Palsy Law Blog : Cerebral Palsy Lawyer & Attorney : Burke & Eisner Law Firm : Medical Malpractice Lawyers & Attorneys

At the Brain Science Institute Toyota Collaboration Center (BTCC) in Japan, researchers have developed a cutting-edge technology that uses brain waves to control wheelchair motion. The technology relies on what’s called a brain machine interface (BMI), and this allows individuals with certain disabilities (including some types of cerebral palsy) to interact with their world by way of brain signals.

To control the wheelchair, users must wear a specialized EEG cap which transmits brain waves to the wheelchair for analysis. The wheelchair processes the signals every 125 milliseconds and the analysis is displayed on a screen so the user can make the necessary adjustments for effective operation.
 

The technology and its applications are still being researched, but a video of the high-tech wheelchair in action can be seen here on YouTube.

 

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Dystonia-choreoathetosis affects approximately 10 percent of all cerebral palsy patients and it is notoriously difficult to treat. However, a new study by French researchers shows promise for treating this form of cerebral palsy.

Using what is known as bilateral pallidal deep brain stimulation (BP-DBS), researchers were able to improve motor symptoms in 8 out of 13 cerebral palsy patients who participated in the trial. Improvement in motor functioning was based on a movement rating scale and ranged from 21 to 55 percent, with an average of 24.4 percent. The researchers also found that the deep brain stimulation helped to reduce pain.

Deep brain stimulation involves the use of an implantable device that operates similar to a pacemaker. Whereas a pacemaker uses electrical currents to help regulate heartbeat, deep brain stimulation uses electrical impulses to help the brain control movement in the body.

Although the initial results are promising, researchers made sure to point out that the study was small and additional research is necessary – particularly with regard to treating cerebral palsy symptoms in children.

 

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Evidence has shown that magnesium sulfate – a common compound found in Epsom salt, for example – reduces the risk of cerebral palsy in preterm babies. However, there is still some debate as to whether magnesium sulfate should be administered for this purpose.
 

In the current issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology are several articles that shed light on the debate. One article concludes that persuasive evidence exists for the use of magnesium sulfate in women at high risk of delivering prior to 34 weeks gestation. Another article lists the pros and cons of using magnesium sulfate for cerebral palsy prevention, and also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of existing studies. The last article offers one physician’s clinical opinion that the compound has the potential to prevent 1,000 cases of cerebral palsy in the United States each year.  

What is cerebral palsy? Cerebral palsy is a chronic motor disability that is diagnosed in thousands of infants and children annually. There is no cure for cerebral palsy and the estimated lifetime cost of treating the condition in an individual is approximately $1 million. If you think your child’s cerebral palsy was caused by medical negligence, you may be entitled to compensation and you may wish to have a medical attorney evaluate your case.

 

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On Thursday, July 2nd, the Today Show will feature a story on the robotics research being conducted to improve the lives of children and adults with cerebral palsy. For the segment, the show visited the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the Blythedale Children’s Hospital. The show will specifically focus on how robots can be used to improve cerebral palsy symptoms in the arms and legs.
The Today Show runs from 7 to 11 a.m. ET on NBC, but the segment may be available on the show’s website after it airs.


 

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Intensive locomotion therapy is a relatively new area of research in treating cerebral palsy symptoms in children, and clinical studies involving the Pediatric Lokomat® have so far shown positive results.
 

What is the Pediatric Lokomat?
 

The Pediatric Lokomat is essentially a robotic treadmill training device. Unlike manual treadmill training that requires the assistance of a physical therapist, the Pediatric Lokomat uses robotic gait orthoses and harnesses to guide a child through the session. The device monitors the patient’s movements and can be adjusted to meet individual needs.

The Pediatric Lokomat is appropriate for children over the age of four with cerebral palsy and other gait-impaired patients.

Clinical research projects involving the Pediatric Lokomat can be found at various hospitals across the United States. Your child’s medical providers may be able to provide you more information regarding this particular type of therapy.

 

 

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Engineers at MIT are finding that robot-based therapy can aid limb movement in children affected by cerebral palsy symptoms. Previous research has focused on how robotics can assist adults who have suffered stroke, but scientist Hermano Igo Krebs and colleagues wanted to test the therapy on children, whose brains are more impressionable.
 

Right now research is focused on using robotics to help children with cerebral palsy reach and grasp objects. According to the researchers, the robotic treatments are able to accomplish a couple of things:

• To reduce impairment
• To enable and create neural connections

One in 278 children in the United States has cerebral palsy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and research into treatments is ongoing.

 

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Researchers are now looking into robotics as a way to improve muscle movement and coordination in children with cerebral palsy. This area of research is relatively new, but already great strides have been made.

In fact, research in this area has been so promising that Riley Hospital in Indianapolis will soon be home to the Robotics Clinical Center for Children with Cerebral Palsy. The center will be publicly funded and if you’re in the Indianapolis area, you can help support it by attending a fundraising event being held on May 5th.  

If you would like to learn more about how robots are helping to change the future of cerebral palsy treatment, watch this webcast on the Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation website. It provides a brief look into the world of robotics and cerebral palsy.

 

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Researchers at Northwestern University have made a possible breakthrough in cerebral palsy prevention—they say two new compounds they developed may be effective in preventing the condition, which affects one to two out of every 1,000 babies born each year in the United States.

The compounds inhibit the neurotransmitter nitric oxide, a brain enzyme that is suspected of playing a role in the development of cerebral palsy. Studies have shown that high levels of the enzyme cause damage to brain tissue, so the researchers think controlling levels of nitric oxide might be key.

The Findings
Animals in the study were treated with one of the two compounds, or they received no treatment at all. Those that received treatment with one of the compounds did significantly better than those that did not. In fact:
 

• 83% of fetuses born to an animal treated with the first compound showed no cerebral palsy symptoms
• 69% of fetuses born to an animal with the other compound displayed no symptoms of cerebral palsy
• There were no deaths in fetuses born to animals treated with one of the two compounds.

Comparatively, more than 50% of fetuses born to untreated animals died.

“The results are just stunning, absolutely amazing,” said Richard B. Silverman, lead author of the study.

The findings are published online in Annals of Neurology.

See also: Cerebral Palsy Symptoms

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The Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation has created a new fact sheet on the topic of “Brain and Tissue Banking for Cerebral Palsy Research.” The sheet provides a brief summary of what tissue banks are and why they’re important for research into developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy.

If you want to know more about tissue banking, we think this fact sheet is a great place to start. Check it out.

 

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From February 18th – 21st, renowned researchers from around the world will gather in Sydney, Australia for the largest cerebral palsy convention to date: The 3rd International Cerebral Palsy Conference.

The event, which will feature experts from various disciplines, seeks to promote collaboration among specialists for the advancement of cerebral palsy treatments. This year’s theme is “Across the Life-Span” and featured speakers include:

Dr. Roslyn Boyd, a physiotherapist recognized internationally for her cerebral palsy research

Dr. Eve Blair, an epidemiologist with over 25 years of experience

Dr. Donna Ferriero, who serves as the Director of the Neonatal Brain Disorder Laboratories and co-director of the Newborn Brain Research Institute at UCSF

Dr. Fiona Stanley, founding Director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research

For more information about this event, visit CP 2009

 

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Clinical trials represent just one cerebral palsy treatment option, and participating in a clinical trial isn’t for everyone. However, for those who’d like to learn more about clinical trials, we came across this great article that discusses:
 

• What a clinical trial is
• Who should participate in a clinical trial
• Where clinical trials are conducted and by whom
• The phases and design of a clinical trial
• Protections for participants

The article, written by Dr. Peter W. Stacpoole, appears in Exceptional Parent Magazine and can be accesse at www.eParent.com

 

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Posted by Cerebral Palsy Lawyer, David Austin

The San Antonio Military Medical Complex (SAMMC) is the only Department of Defense facility to provide comprehensive cerebral palsy treatment to children and adults with the condition. In fact, the facility’s spasticity clinic has been named a center of excellence for the treatment of cerebral palsy.

Medical specialists at the facility’s Adult and Pediatric Spasticity Clinic take a multidisciplinary approach to treatment to help reduce cerebral palsy symptoms. According to Major and pediatric neurologist Dr. Brian Faux, each patient is treated by a team of specialists that includes “pediatricians, orthopedic surgeons, physical, occupational and speech therapists, social workers, neurologists, neurosurgeons, educators and nutritionists.”

One particular treatment available at the clinic is medical pump implantation; the pump delivers a continuous dose of medication to ease some of the symptoms associated with cerebral palsy. Since 2003, the clinic has implanted 15 medical pumps into children.

"I would like to see children with cerebral palsy being implanted at a much younger age, before they start losing muscle and are wheelchair bound. It's important that we get the word out that we offer this treatment," Dr. Faux said.

SAMMC was formerly known as Wilford Hall Medical Center and the website can be accessed here.

 

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The Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation (CPIRF) will host a gala next month at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles to raise money for a new research initiative.

Recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the incidence of cerebral palsy is highest among African Americans and the cerebral palsy association CPIRF wants to focus more research in this area.

Money raised during the Power Heroes Gala on December 3, 2008 will go toward funding research to identify the causes behind racial disparities in cerebral palsy and similar developmental disorders. To learn more about this event, please visit the CPIRF website.

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The Horses and Humans Research Foundation has granted $100,000 in funding to two universities, one of which will study the effect of hippotherapy (horse-assisted therapy) on head and body movement in 18 children with cerebral palsy.

A 2006 study showed that therapeutic horseback riding programs can benefit motor functioning in children with spastic diplegia, a common type of cerebral palsy, and in recent years, numerous equine-assisted therapy programs have been developed around the country to help individuals with disability.

This new study will be conducted over the course of 10 weeks by researchers at the University du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, just northeast of Montreal. The other university to receive a grant, Good Hope Equestrian Training Center in Florida, will focus on the use of equine therapy in autistic children.

To learn more about equine-assisted therapies and studies, visit the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association or Horses and Humans.org.

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A two-year-old girl has made “remarkable” progress since undergoing an experimental cerebral palsy treatment at Duke University in May. The treatment involved the use of the toddler’s own umbilical cord blood, which her parents had stored with a private company after she was born.

Chloe Levine was diagnosed with hemiplegic cerebral palsy after her parents noticed she was dragging her right leg while trying to crawl and having difficulty holding her bottle in her right hand.

When the family heard about the experimental research at Duke University, they decided to enroll Chloe. As part of the treatment, doctors injected Chloe with her own stem cells to repair damaged brain tissue. The results, according to her parents, were almost immediately apparent.

“She can walk, run and do sign language with her right hand,” her father said. “Her therapist said she’s made a 50 percent recovery.”

Cord blood contains a certain type of stem cell, which researchers are looking into for possible therapeutic properties. 

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A new case study published in Physical Therapy Journal shows promise for the use of gaming technology, specifically Nintendo Wii, to enhance rehabilitation in cerebral palsy patients.

The study focused on the case of an adolescent with spastic diplegia, and was conducted over the course of a summer.For the study, the teen participated in 11 training sessions between 60 and 90 minutes long. Various Wii games were used for the training, including:

• boxing,
• bowling,
•  tennis, and
• golf.

Two of the training sessions involved multiplayer games, and the boy trained in both sitting and standing positions. Researchers measured progress in visual perception processing, posture control and functional mobility and found improvements in each of these areas.

This is believed to be the first published study of its kind and suggests that additional research is necessary in the area of readily available gaming technology for cerebral palsy rehabilitation.

Previous research has focused on the use of virtual reality programs for stimulating movement in cerebral palsy patients, but such technology is costly and takes time to develop. However, interactive gaming systems like Wii are relatively low-cost and can be purchased commercially.
Still, researchers note that gaming is not a replacement for physical therapy, but it may be a viable complement.

 

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Noted economist and philanthropist Paul Volcker is trying to raise awareness of cerebral palsy, a condition that he says has never gained great popularity with the charitable community.  Volcker’s son has mild cerebral palsy, and he’s long been involved with the cause.

But his involvement gained momentum in 1988 when he began working with the United Cerebral Palsy Research Education Foundation (now called the Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation). Volcker eventually became chairman of the organization, which raises money for and encourages cerebral palsy research.

Current research, Volcker says, is promising, particularly in the Middle East where doctors are cooperating in their efforts. He also says there’s a potential breakthrough in the area of robotics, which has been looked at as a possible cerebral palsy treatment.

Still, Volcker maintains that new areas of research are needed for finding ways to prevent and deal with cerebral palsy, a condition that is diagnosed in approximately 10,000 to 12,000 infants and children in the U.S. each year.

Individuals who are interested in learning more about cerebral palsy research or who would like to make a donation are encouraged to visit the CPIRF website.

 

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