A statewide team of researchers led by a Michigan State University epidemiologist 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.
The research team, led by MSU's Nigel Paneth and recently awarded $1.9 million in federal stimulus funding, will conduct a two-year case-control study using Michigan's newborn blood spot data, which have been collected and archived on all live births in the state since 1986. About 440 families are expected to participate, representing communities throughout Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
"Unfortunately, we have made very limited progress in finding the causes of cerebral palsy," Paneth said. "It is likely that a variety of different problems can lead to the disorder, most of these operating before birth. While much prior thinking has focused on birth injuries or other difficulties of labor and delivery, we think other factors must be important contributors."
Researchers will focus on three potential pathways to cerebral palsy, Paneth said:
- 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.
Making the project possible is the newborn genetic screening program set up decades ago in Michigan, as in all states, to test newborns for genetic abnormalities that can lead to death or mental retardation. About 30 to 40 diagnostic tests are performed on every newborn in Michigan. These tests are performed on drops of blood collected for this purpose and spotted onto filter paper soon after birth.
Because of the foresight of Michigan public health officials and legislators, any drops of blood left over from this testing procedure are not discarded, and with permission of the parent, can be examined to see if they contain clues to the causes of disease.