Cerebral Palsy Research - USA

Cerebral palsy is the result of a combination of events either before, during or after birth that can lead to an injury in a baby’s developing brain.

There is no single cause of cerebral palsy. For most babies born with cerebral palsy, the cause remains unknown.Researchers now know that only a very small percentage of cases of cerebral palsy are due to complications at birth (e.g. asphyxia or lack of oxygen). Today, it is accepted that cerebral palsy usually arises from a series of causal pathways, i.e. a sequence of events that when combined can cause or accelerate injury to the developing brain.


At present, the cause is not well understood for most of these babies. Stroke is the most common cause in babies who acquire cerebral palsy after 1 month of age. The stroke may occur spontaneously or arise from surgical or heart complications.

Risk factors



  • premature birth (less than 37 weeks)
  • low birth weight (small for gestational age)
  • blood clotting problems (thrombophilia)
  • bacterial infection of the mother, foetus or baby that directly or indirectly attacks the infact’s central nervous system

Who is at greatest risk?


  1. Males – Males are at greater risk of having cerebral palsy
  2. Premature babies – Prematurity is associated with higher rates of cerebral palsy
  3. Small babies – Low birth weight is associated with higher rates of cerebral palsy. This may be a result of prematurity or slow intrauterine growth. 42% of children with cerebral palsy had low birth weight, compared to just over 6% of the Australian population
  4. Twins, triplets and higher multiple births – Prematurity is associated with higher rates of cerebral palsy. 11% of children with cerebral palsy were from a multiple birth, whereas the rates of multiple births are only 1.7% in the Australian population.


Is cerebral palsy genetic/hereditary?



