Study shows possible breakthrough for cerebral palsy
A new treatment helped rabbits born with cerebral palsy regain near-normal mobility, offering hope of a potential breakthrough in treating humans with the incurable disorder.
|Last Updated: Apr 19, 2012, 08:44 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Washington: A new treatment helped rabbits born with cerebral palsy regain near-normal mobility, offering hope of a potential breakthrough in treating humans with the incurable disorder, researchers said today.
The method, part of the growing field of nanomedicine, worked by delivering an anti-inflammatory drug directly into the damaged parts of the brain via tiny tree-like molecules known as dendrimers.
Baby rabbits treated within six hours of birth showed "dramatic improvement in the motor function" by the fifth day of life, said lead author Sujatha Kannan of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Perinatology Research Branch.
The study appears in the US journal Science Translational Medicine.
Rabbits who were born immobile due to cerebral palsy were moving around at "almost... Normal healthy levels by day five," said an accompanying article in the same journal by Chicago pediatrician Sidhartha Tan.
The drug used was one that is commonly used to treat people who overdose on acetaminophen, known as N-acetyl-L-cystine or NAC, and was given at a 10 times smaller amount.
However, it was successful because the nanodelivery method allowed it to cross the blood-brain barrier and swiftly shut down inflammation in the brain.
Kannan said her team used rabbits because, like humans, their brains develop some before birth and some after birth, whereas most other animals are born with their motor abilities already formed.
"An advantage of that is we can test therapies and look at the improvement in motor function using this kind of animal model," she said.
While experts say it may be many years before it will be known if this approach can be used in human babies, the research shows an important proof of concept that some type of early intervention can reverse brain damage.
"The importance of this work is that it indicates that there is a window in time, immediately after birth, when neuroinflammation can be identified and when treatment with a nanodevice can reverse the features of cerebral palsy," said co-author Roberto Romero, an obstetrician at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Cerebral palsy affects about 750,000 children and adults in the United States, and its prevalence rate is about 3.3 per 1,000 births, according to Romero.
The disorder can cause severe difficulties controlling muscles, and inability to walk, move or swallow. Some patients may also suffer cognitive delays and developmental abnormalities.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.