A trail of blood spots leads to discovery

At the Michigan State University a teams of epidemiologist researchers are hoping Michigan's archive of newborn blood spots will help them uncover the causes of cerebral palsy, the most common disabling motor disorder in children with annual health costs of $12 billion.

They will be studying newborn blood spot data that has been collected and archived since 1986. About 440 families are expected to participate, representing communities throughout Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The researchers will be focusing on what they consider three potential pathways to cerebral palsy:

• Hormonal: There is a suggestion that low levels of thyroid hormone at specific times in development may sometimes increase the risk of cerebral palsy.
• Inflammation or infection: The team suspects that silent infections while the baby is in the womb may explain the causes of some cases of the disease.
• Blood-clotting: Some forms of cerebral palsy resemble adult stroke, which is caused by bleeding or clot-formation in the brain. The team will analyze newborn tendencies for either bleeding or clot formation for their potential contribution to cerebral palsy.

This study is funded for a two year research period. According to Michigan State, "Children with cerebral palsy will be recruited in the Lansing, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor areas. Besides the newborn blood data, after obtaining the participant's permission, researchers will interview mothers about pregnancy exposures and analyze health data recorded at birth"

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