Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks
Published on: December 5, 2014
Neuroimaging in cerebral palsy: Patterns of brain dysgenesis and injury
1Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Division of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. hoon@kennedykrieger.org
Insights
Cerebral palsy pathogenesis is linked to prenatal brain injury, with white-matter damage being common in preterm infants. Advanced neuroimaging aids understanding and may lead to interventions preventing brain injury.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Cerebral palsy prevalence remains stable despite advances in obstetric and neonatal care.
- Pathogenesis is strongly linked to prenatal brain dysgenesis and injury.
- Neuroimaging reveals abnormalities in 70-90% of affected children, aiding classification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of neuroimaging in understanding cerebral palsy pathogenesis.
- To highlight advanced imaging techniques for detecting brain abnormalities.
- To explore potential interventions for preventing brain injury in at-risk infants.
Main Methods:
- Review of neuroimaging studies, including conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- Inclusion of advanced techniques like diffusion tensor imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
- Analysis of imaging findings in relation to clinical classifications of cerebral palsy.
Main Results:
- White-matter injury is the leading cause of cerebral palsy in preterm infants, with periventricular leukomalacia affecting up to 20% of very low birthweight infants.
- Conventional MRI effectively visualizes white-matter injury, while advanced techniques provide a more comprehensive view of structural and functional abnormalities.
- Neuroimaging findings enhance the understanding of periventricular leukomalacia and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
Conclusions:
- Neuroimaging is crucial for understanding cerebral palsy pathogenesis, particularly prenatal brain injury.
- Advanced imaging techniques offer a more complete assessment of brain abnormalities.
- Improved understanding may facilitate interventions to prevent brain injury in vulnerable newborns.
Abstract:
Despite advances in obstetric and neonatal care, the overall prevalence of cerebral palsy has remained stable, supporting the belief that pathogenesis is primarily due to prenatal brain dysgenesis and injury. Neuroimaging studies have consistently shown abnormalities in 70% to 90% of affected children, facilitating clinical classification into groups with early brain malformations, white-matter injury, neonatal encephalopathies, and a heterogeneous group of postnatally acquired disorders. White-matter injury, well seen on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is the leading cause of cerebral palsy in children born preterm. As many as 20% of very low birthweight infants have cystic and/or diffuse white-matter injury, termed periventricular leukomalacia, with evidence of associated pathology in other cortical and subcortical structures. In the group with acute, term perinatal pathology, a variety of imaging modalities, in addition to MRI, have diagnostic utility. In general, when added to conventional MRI, advanced techniques, such as diffusion tensor imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, provide a more complete picture of structural and functional brain abnormalities. The results have led to improved understanding of pathogenesis, especially in regard to periventricular leukomalacia and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. This information might lead to interventions preventing brain injury in preterm infants and asphyxiated term newborns.
