Cerebral palsy – Causes – NHS Choices – Your health, your …

Cerebral palsy is caused by a problem in the parts of the brain responsible for controlling movement. It can occur if the brain is damaged in early lifeor develops abnormally, although the exact cause is not always obvious.

Parts of the brain responsible for other important functionssuch as communication, hearing, vision and the ability to learnmay also be affected. This is why people withthe conditioncan have various other problems, not just ones involving the muscles.

In the past, doctors believed that cerebral palsy was caused by brain damage sustained during birththe direct result of being temporarily deprived of oxygen (asphyxiation). Asphyxiation can sometimes occur during a difficult or complicated birth.

However, a major research project carried out in the 1980s showed that asphyxiation was only responsible for up to 1 in 10 cases of cerebral palsy. Most were due to problems with the brain that developed before the child was born.

Researchers believe there are three main problems that can affect the brain before birth and cause cerebral palsy. These are discussed below.

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), also known as white matter damage of immaturity, refers to damage of the brain's white matter. This part of the brain comprises many nerve fibres, which are protected by a white fatty protein, known as myelin. The white matter is responsible for directing communication between the thought-processing sections of the brain (known as grey matter) and the rest of the body.

It is thought the brain damage is caused by a reduction in the childs blood or oxygen supply, which damages the brain cells. This has serious consequences in later life, as the white matter is responsible for transmitting signals from the brain to the muscles.

It is not clear exactly why PVL occurs, but it has been linked to:

Anything that changes or affects the brain's normal development can lead to problems with the way it transmits information to the muscles. If this happens, a child can develop cerebral palsy.

Brain development can be affected by:

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Cerebral palsy - Causes - NHS Choices - Your health, your ...