Cerebral Palsy and Neurological Health

Fact Checked

Cerebral palsy is a neurological and motor condition that affects the brain, movement, and much more. Someone with cerebral palsy can develop various neurological conditions, including epilepsy, cognitive impairment, hearing or vision loss, and others. They benefit from regular neurological monitoring and treatment.

Brain Damage and Cerebral Palsy

Neurological health is an essential aspect of monitoring and treating cerebral palsy, as it’s a condition caused by brain damage. It occurs when the brain develops abnormally or when damage causes harm to parts of the brain.

A baby may suffer this kind of damage during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or soon after birth. Exactly what causes a particular case of cerebral palsy may not be known, but there are several ways in which the brain damage occurs.

One of these is when there is damage to the brain’s white matter. Although it is unknown exactly how it happens, the gaps sometimes seen in white matter in the brains of children with cerebral palsy are thought to occur between 26 and 34 weeks of gestation.

Another cause is anything that disrupts the brain’s normal development in the womb, like infections or genetic factors. Bleeding in the brain, sometimes caused by a fetal stroke, can also cause significant damage.

One way the brain can be damaged during childbirth is by being deprived of oxygen. This results in cell death in the brain, and the longer oxygen is deprived, the worse the damage will be.

The stress of a difficult delivery or complications of birth—such as detachment of the placenta or being strangled by the umbilical cord— has the potential to cause this to happen.

Neurological Complications of Cerebral Palsy

Because cerebral palsy originates in the brain, it can cause several neurological complications.

Seizures and Epilepsy

Seizures are common in children with cerebral palsy; nearly half will suffer from a seizure disorder. A seizure is a neurological condition characterized by sudden and unusual bursts of electrical activity in the brain. If two or more unprovoked seizures occur, it becomes known as epilepsy.

Seizures can cause blackouts, convulsions, drooling and frothing, eye movements, loss of bladder control, jaw clenching, and muscle spasms.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism is another condition often connected with cerebral palsy. It’s considered a neurological and developmental disorder, and while the link between the two conditions is not fully understood, it does exist. Autism spectrum disorder may cause various symptoms to different degrees, including poor social skills, difficulty communicating, and repetitive behaviors.[1]

Some children on the spectrum are severely disabled, while others are only slightly impaired.

Cognitive Impairment

Cognitive impairment, or intellectual disability, is also a possible associated condition of cerebral palsy. The greater a child’s motor dysfunction, the more likely they are to have a cognitive impairment.[2]

Cognitive impairment means that a child has a lower-than-average intelligence. With cognitive impairment, a child may struggle to socialize, learn, think, and solve problems, and depending on the severity, to live an independent life as an adult.

Other Neurological Complications

Other consequences of impaired neurological health in children with cerebral palsy include:

• Learning disabilities
• Apraxia
• Psychological and mental health disorders
• Developmental disorders
• Difficulties with communication

These neurological conditions sometimes coexist with cerebral palsy, but the actual connection, how one causes the other, or if they have a common cause, is not always well understood.

The Importance of Monitoring Neurological Health

A child’s neurological health is important because it affects all aspects of life. The original damage that causes cerebral palsy in a child is not progressive. It will not worsen with time, and it will not be healed or corrected.

Progressive Neurological Complications

On the other hand, neurological complications or coexisting conditions can get worse over time. This may result from a child’s natural development, a lack of appropriate treatment, or other factors.

Regular evaluation is important because neurological health can deteriorate in a child with brain damage and cerebral palsy.

Part of a child’s long-term care plan should include standard tests of neurological function and reevaluation of those neurological conditions that have already been identified and diagnosed.

Early Interventions

Early interventions are crucial for children struggling with neurological problems. The sooner treatments and therapy are started, the better the chance the child has of seeing the benefits of those treatments.

Early on, within the first few days of birth, surgical and other medical treatments may begin to repair some of the neurological damage.[3]

For instance, if it is known that a baby suffered brain damage or was deprived of oxygen, a hypothermic treatment can be used to cool the baby and prevent much of the damage.

Surgery to remove blood from the brain to prevent bleeding may also help reverse or prevent neurologic damage.

Later Interventions

However, for most children, the results of brain damage in childbirth will not be discovered until later. Even then, months and sometimes years after birth, a child can benefit from neurologic evaluation and treatments.

Educational interventions can help a child learn better in school. Medications can treat and reduce the frequency of seizures. Various behavioral therapies can help a child on the autism spectrum learn to communicate and socialize.

If you have a child born with cerebral palsy, you must be aware of the issues related to neurologic health. Evaluating, monitoring, and treating neurologic health regularly gives a child the best chance to live a fulfilling and satisfying life.

Neurological problems can be devastating, but they can also be managed. You can give your child the best life by providing the best neurological care.