Seizures & Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term used to describe a group of disorders affecting body movement and muscle co-ordination.
A medical definition of CP is "a non-progressive but not unchanging disorder of movement and/ or posture, due to an insult to or anomaly of the developing brain."
The development of the brain starts early in pregnancy and continues until about the age of 3. Damage to the brain during this time may result in CP. This damage interferes with messages from the brain to the body, and from the body to the brain.
The effects of CP may vary from person to person. At its mildest, CP may result in awkwardness of movement or hand control. Severe CP can lead to no muscle control, profoundly affecting movement and speech.
Depending on the area of the brain which have been damaged, one or more of the following may occur:
- muscle tightness or spasm
- difficulty with gross motor skills (walking, running)
- difficulty with fine motor skills (writing, speaking)
Brain damage caused by CP may also lead to other conditions such as:
- hearing impairment
- vision problems
- learning disabilities
- seizures
Causes of Cerebral Palsy
Any damage to the developing brain, whether caused by genetic or developmental disorders, injury or disease, may produce CP.
During Pregnancy
- a damaged placenta which may interfere with foetal growth
- exposure to toxic substances, including nicotine and alcohol
- poor nutrition
- premature dilation of the cervix leading to premature delivery
During Labour- premature delivery
- abnormal positioning of the baby which makes delivery difficult
In Early Childhood- brain haemorrhages (bleeding around the brain)
- a lack of oxygen due to accidents, such as drowning
- head injury following falls, car accidents or abuse
Types of CP
Classification by Number of Limbs Involved- Quadriplegia
All four limbs are involved.
- Diplegia
All four limbs are involved. Both legs are more severely affected than the arms.
- Hemiplegia
One side of the body is affected. The arm is usually more involved than the leg.
- Triplegia
Three limbs — usually both arms and one leg — are involved.
- Monoplegia
Only one limb — usually an arm — is affected.
Classification by Movement Disorder
The location of the brain injury determines how movement is affected.
Spastic Cerebral Palsy is the most common type and is caused by damage to the motor cortex. Spastic muscles are tight and stiff, which limits movement. Spasticity may be very mild and affect only a few movements, or very severe and affect the whole body. The amount of spasticity usually changes over time.
Choreo-Athetoid Cerebral Palsy results from damage to the basal ganglia or cerebellum (the areas of the brain associated with movement) and leads to difficulty in controlling and co-ordinating movement. Children may have involuntary movements, or have difficulty with skills which require co-ordinated movements, such as speech or reaching and grasping objects smoothly.
Mixed-type Cerebral Palsy refers to a diagnosis given when areas of the brain affecting both muscle tone and voluntary movement are affected. Usually, the spasticity is more obvious at first, with involuntary movement increasing as the child develops.
Cerebral Palsy and Seizures
Among persons with CP, tonic-clonic seizures and complex-partial seizures occur most frequently.
About 25% of persons with CP, most often in those with spasticity, experience convulsive (tonic-clonic) seizures. As many as 50% of children with CP experience convulsive seizures. These seizures often originate in the area of the brain which causes the CP.
There is a higher occurrence of seizures by persons with spastic hemiplegia than those with spastic diplegia. Complex partial seizures are the most common form in individuals with spastic hemiplegia.
