Cerebral Palsy Advice Group

There has been promising new research into the use of electrical brain implants to restore some movement for people affected by cerebral palsy.

French researchers have placed electrical devices known as deep brain stimulators into 13 people who have cerebral palsy with dystonia-choreoathetosis. The stimulators, made by Medtronic, Inc., are already approved to treat Parkinson’s disease, severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, tremors and dystonia. Medtronic partially funded the study.

Dystonia-choreoathetosis is movement disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions. It affects about 10% of all cerebral palsy patients and there are no known effective treatments.

A year into the research, improvement has been found in eight of the 13 subjects, while two showed no changes and three had their conditions worsen slightly, according to results published in the medical journal Lancet Neurology. Those who improved had an increase in motor control ranging from 21 to 55 percent. The treatment also reduced pain and had positive mental health effects on most of the subjects, though five subjects had to be treated with anti-anxiety medication.

The deep brain stimulators consist of electrodes placed in the globus pallidus internus area of the brain, which is the same area used to treat non-cerebral palsy dystonia patients. The leads are connected by wire to the main implant near the collar bone or abdomen. A generator inside the implant sends electrical pulses through the leads into the brain.

Researchers warned that the study was limited in scope, and called for further studies, but said that the results looked promising. It is unknown, however, how the implants would affect children with cerebral palsy or other, more complex forms of cerebral palsy.

REUTERS: Device Shows Promise to Treat Cerebral Palsy Type