[Source:  Medical News Today]

An international research group led by a team at the University of Adelaide has made what they believe could be the biggest discovery into cerebral palsy in 20 years.

Emeritus Professor Alastair MacLennan (University of Adelaide) with Matthew Reinertsen, who has cerebral palsy are shown. Researchers have discovered that many cases of cerebral palsy may have genetic causes.

It has long been the belief that cerebral palsy occurs when a child experiences a lack of oxygen during pregnancy or at birth. However, the Australian Collaborative Cerebral Palsy Research Group, based at the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Research Institute, has found at least 14% of cerebral palsy cases are likely caused by a genetic mutation.

The findings of this research are published in the Nature journal, Molecular Psychiatry.

The Head of the Cerebral Palsy Research Group, Emeritus Professor Alastair MacLennan, says prior to this research it was believed that as little as 1% of cerebral palsy cases had a genetic cause.

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