Stem Cells For Cerebral Palsy (CP) Treatment

About Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Cerebral Palsy definition refers to the words cerebral -which relates to the brain, and palsy refers to weakness or difficulty in controlling muscles. It compromises motor skills and muscle tone due to the damage to the developing brain during pregnancy, birth, and after birth. The severity and impact of CP vary widely among children, ranging from mild motor challenges to more complex issues affecting speech, movement, and quality of life.

Cerebral Palsy Is Not Life-Threatening

Cerebral Palsy itself is not a terminal illness. However, associated complications can endanger health if not managed properly. For instance, swallowing difficulties may lead to malnutrition, while limited mobility raises the risk of pressure sores and infections. Chronic respiratory issues, bladder dysfunction, and weakened immunity can further complicate matters. Most people with CP can live long, fulfilling lives with appropriate medical care, nutrition, and support.

Cerebral Palsy Does Not Get Worse with Age

Unlike degenerative disorders, Cerebral Palsy disease is not progressive. The brain injury does not spread or worsen over time. Children can gain greater independence over time with proper therapy, rehabilitation, and supportive care.

Cerebral Palsy Does Not Have A Cure

Current cerebral palsy treatments include medications, rehabilitative therapies, and surgery. However, they only address the cerebral palsy symptoms but do not offer a cure. An optimal treatment should be able to repair the brain damage- a lacuna in the current treatment approach.

What is the current state of research on cerebral palsy treatment?

Scientists are studying developmental pathways in the brain to restore or reverse the damage by injury. Among various explored avenues, stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising frontier. It offers a unique regenerative approach to cerebral palsy treatment. It not only targets the mechanisms of the disorder but also stimulates neural repair.

Decades of research on stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy treatment have shown encouraging results. The therapy has entered clinical trials and yielded positive outcomes ( Contact us for more details +91-9654321400 )

With the ongoing research, stem cell therapy is undergoing refinements. Scientists are integrating patients' characteristics as well as disease severity and course to develop more customized solutions. These solutions ensure maximum benefit of the therapy, propelling it into the new era of personalized stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy.

Diagnosis

A proper treatment plan requires the precise and accurate diagnosis of the disorder. Hence, a combination of various techniques is applied for a conclusive cerebral palsy diagnosis.

Birth History: Clinicians document the child's history before, during, and after birth. This may uncover cerebral palsy causes.

Physical Examination: Clinicians typically perform a detailed assessment of motor skills in children. Two standardized tools are used—General Movements Assessment (GM) and Hammersmith Infant Neurological Exam (HINE).

• GM is applied to children under 5 months old. It observes spontaneous movements in infants lying down. Lack of fidgeting or smoothness/stiffness in movements suggests cerebral palsy.
• HINE is a neurological exam for children aged 2–24 months. It evaluates three domains—physical exam, motor development, and behavior to support cerebral palsy diagnosis.

Neuroimaging is essential for visualizing abnormal brain development. The following methods are used to image the brain non-invasively.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): This method creates a 3D image of the brain by capturing cross-sections using radio waves and magnetic fields.

Cranial Ultrasound: It uses high-frequency sound waves to produce brain images. Though less detailed than MRI, it is helpful for fast, initial evaluation.

Besides the tests above, additional tests may be conducted to assess cerebral palsy symptoms:

Electroencephalogram (EEG): It is employed when a child experiences seizures. This non-invasive test places electrodes on the scalp to monitor electrical activity.

Genetic Test: Advised when there is a family history of cerebral palsy, brain malformations, or structural irregularities.

Blood Test: Screens for underlying metabolic disorders.

Lumbar Puncture: Applied in cases of unexplained seizures or movement issues to detect neurotransmitter or glucose transporter abnormalities.

Early Signs & Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy symptoms include:

Head size differences: Head might be bigger (macrocephaly) or smaller (microcephaly) than the normal size.

Irritability: Babies get irritable frequently.

Lack of interaction: Children may not react to people around them.

Hypotonia: Decreased muscle tone resulting in a floppy appearance or reduced resistance to movement.

Hypertonia: Increase in muscle tone, inducing stiffness or increased resistance to movement.

Delayed development: Children might take longer periods to achieve specific developmental indicators.

Spasticity: Muscles become rigid, reducing the ability to stretch them.

Dystonia: Involuntary muscle contractions, repetitive movements, and abnormal posture

Hyperreflexia: Overactive reflexes or increased response to a stimulus.

Muscle weakness and uncoordinated movements also occur in kids with cerebral palsy disease. In addition, children might also show some other cerebral palsy symptoms associated with the disorder, but not considered as signs of the disorder.

• Cognitive impairment
• Problems with hearing and vision
• Seizures and epilepsy
• Speech and language deficits
• Vision and hearing problems
• Changes in spine and joint problems
• Respiratory disorders
• Bowel and/or bladder incontinence
• Difficulty in swallowing and feeding
• Behavior disorders
• Sleep disturbances
• Anxiety and depression

Available Types of Cerebral Palsy (CP)

The types of cerebral palsy can be classified based on the movement disorders, affected limbs, and the severity of symptoms.

The movement disorders depend on the area of the brain affected and outline the following types of cerebral palsy:

Spastic Cerebral Palsy: It is the most common type of cerebral palsy disease is characterized by increased muscle tone and tightness, leading to impaired movement

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy: It combines dystonic, choreoathetoid, and athetoid cerebral palsy. Dystonic cerebral palsy describes abnormal muscle contractions. The choreoathetoid and athetoid cerebral palsy denote the rapid and slow movements, respectively. Therefore, dyskinetic cerebral palsy results in excessive involuntary movements like rapid muscle contractions or slow writhing movements. Muscle tone fluctuations vary between tight and loose muscles.

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy: Children show uncoordinated movements, reduce muscle tone, and unsteadiness. Movements that require more control like writing are difficult for them.

Mixed Cerebral Palsy: This type involves features of more than one type of cerebral palsy. The most common form of mixed cerebral palsy comprises both spastic and dyskinetic types.

Topographical classification categorizes the following types of cerebral palsy based on the affected limbs:

Diplegic Cerebral Palsy: Affects legs more than arms.

Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy: Affects all four limbs, which affects all your limbs. Arms seem to be more affected than legs.

Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: Affects one side of your body (left or right) more than the other. Arms are more affected than legs.

Functional classification evaluates the cerebral palsy symptoms through the following systems. Each of them categorized children into five levels:

GMFCS (Gross Motor Function Classification System): It assesses the gross motor skills of children in five levels between independent walking and the need for a wheelchair.

MACS (Manual Ability Classification System): It analyzes the functions of the upper limbs to handle objects.

CFCS (Communication Function Classification System): It categorizes children based on their communication abilities.

EDACS (Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System): It measures the ability to eat and drink independently.

What Causes Cerebral Palsy ?

Cerebral palsy occurs due to damage or injury to the brain before, during, or after birth, termed as prenatal (during pregnancy), perinatal (during birth), and postnatal (after birth). Prenatal damage is the predominant cause of the disorder. In addition to different periods, the cerebral palsy causes are also multifactorial. These can be categorized as under:

Cerebral Palsy Causes during Pregnancy

• Structural defects in the brain due to disrupted fetal brain development
• Infection in the central nervous system
• Brain stroke (disrupted blood flow) that impacts fetal development
• Genetic factors that disturb fetal brain development

Cerebral Palsy Causes during Birth

• Lack of blood flow or oxygen to the brain
• Infection in the central nervous system
• High levels of bilirubin in the blood can result in brain damage

Cerebral Palsy Causes after Birth

• Infection in the central nervous system
• Brain stroke (disrupted blood flow) that impacts fetal development
• Trauma to the brain (accidental or non-accidental)
• Lack of oxygen to the brain

Premature birth also causes cerebral palsy disease due to the following associated complications:

• Injury to the brain's white matter
• Bleeding inside the brain
• Dead tissue in the brain's white matter
• Other causes include:
• Multiple gestation (pregnancy with more than one fetus)
• Restricted growth of the fetus
• Substance abuse by the pregnant woman
• Preeclampsia (pregnancy-related complications resulting in high blood pressure and protein in urine)
• Bacterial Infection in the amniotic fluid and fetal membrane
• Abnormal development or function of the placenta
• Meconium aspiration (newborn inhales a baby's first stool mixed with amniotic fluid into their lungs, causing breathing difficulties)
• Low blood sugar in newborn babies

Treatments

The goal of cerebral palsy treatment is not to cure or to achieve normalcy but to increase functionality, improve capabilities, relieve symptoms, and sustain health. Treatment strategies are designed to support the child’s development and independence, focusing on improving mobility, communication, and daily living skills. In pursuit of innovative and effective treatment strategies, scientists have turned to regenerative medicine. At the core of this approach lie stem cells—versatile agents with remarkable therapeutic potential, especially in addressing the complex pathology of cerebral palsy.

Stem cell therapy alters multiple biological pathways to promote neural repair and regeneration. Key mechanisms include:

• Stem cell infusion boosts the number of neural progenitors and stimulates their proliferation to generate nerve cells for neural repair.
• Stem cells increase the level of trophic factors that prolong nerve cell survival and shield them from damage.
• These cells help suppress excessive immune cell infiltration into the brain and reduce pro-inflammatory mediators, thereby mitigating the inflammatory response that exacerbates cerebral palsy symptoms.
• By secreting growth factors such as VEGF, stem cells augment the formation of blood vessels to increase oxygen and nutrient delivery to affected areas.

As science continues to evolve, stem cell therapy stands at the forefront of efforts to transform cerebral palsy care beyond conventional rehabilitation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How to prevent cerebral palsy during pregnancy?

Cerebral palsy causes during pregnancy can be minimized by taking specific precautions. Expectant mothers should attend regular prenatal check-ups, follow a healthy lifestyle (refrain from alcohol and smoking), manage existing health conditions (such as diabetes and hypertension), and reduce the chances of infection.

Q2. Does stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy work?

A placebo-controlled Phase II trial at Duke University involving 63 children with varying types and severities of spastic CP showed improved brain connectivity and motor function one year after treatment. A 2021 randomized clinical trial in Tehran using umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) in 36 children with CP demonstrated enhanced motor skills, reduced muscle stiffness, and improved quality of life. These findings support the potential of stem cell therapy as a viable treatment option for CP.

Q3. Is stem cell therapy safe?

Safety assessments from multiple clinical trials reported no significant difference in adverse events between stem cell therapy-treated and untreated groups. Most reported complications, such as fever, nausea, vomiting, and injection site pain, that were mild and manageable, often resolving spontaneously or with medication. Overall, stem cell therapy has a favorable safety profile in clinical settings. Additionally, a robust regulatory framework ensures ethical and responsible administration of the therapy. Therefore, cerebral palsy stem cell treatment in India has drawn considerable interest on a worldwide level.

Q4. Which type of cerebral palsy is treated by stem cell therapy?

Although spastic cerebral palsy is the most common form, studies have explored stem cell therapy across all types and severities of cerebral palsy. Results have shown positive outcomes in motor function, muscle tone, and overall quality of life, making stem cell therapy a promising frontier in cerebral palsy treatment. Advanced technology, a reliable stem cell manufacturer, and clinical expertise in regenerative medicine have contributed to cerebral palsy treatment in India.