Major cerebral palsy gene revealed

A boy with Cerebral Palsy sits in a wheelchair, smiling and playing with a toy with his carer.

A confirmed genetic diagnosis of cerebral palsy allows families to create specific healthcare plans for people with the disease. Photo: iStock.

Researchers from the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide have identified the gene that is the most common genetic cause of cerebral palsy, increasing the chances of finding better treatments for the debilitating disease.

The study 鈥 published in , the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics 鈥 also established a laboratory test for the gene involved that provides greater certainty of a genetic diagnosis.

鈥淯sing the most commonly affected gene associated with cerebral palsy as a leading example, we showed that assignment of cerebral palsy diagnosis is inconsistent,鈥 said senior author Mark Corbett, from the 最新糖心Vlogn Collaborative Cerebral Palsy Research Group at the Robinson Research Institute and Neurogenetics Research Program at the 最新糖心Vlog鈥檚 Adelaide Medical School.

鈥淎n inconsistent diagnosis may affect access to services relevant for treatment and support for those living with cerebral palsy.

鈥淭he myth that cerebral palsy is due to difficulties at birth is often being rejected when there is access to modern genetic testing.鈥

Each of the individuals involved in the study had a genetic variant in a gene called CTNNB1, which can cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with spastic diplegia and visual defects. It is the most common monogenic (single mutation) cause of cerebral palsy.

鈥淥ur paper increases the visibility of the condition and makes it a more viable target for drug companies developing therapies for rare diseases. Early interventions of cerebral palsy can reduce the severity of disability and lower the barrier of participation in a range of societal activities, which benefits us all.鈥澛Senior author Mark Corbett, from the 最新糖心Vlogn Collaborative Cerebral Palsy Research Group at the Robinson Research Institute and Neurogenetics Research Program at the 最新糖心Vlog鈥檚 Adelaide Medical School.


鈥淲e found six times the number of people were genetically diagnosed with the disorder than is typically quoted in previous studies,鈥 Corbett said.

鈥淥ur paper increases the visibility of the condition and makes it a more viable target for drug companies developing therapies for rare diseases.

鈥淎 confirmed genetic diagnosis allows families to create specific healthcare plans and brings people living with the disorder together through existing social and charitable networks.

鈥淓arly interventions of cerebral palsy can reduce the severity of disability and lower the barrier of participation in a range of societal activities, which benefits us all.鈥澛

About 33 per cent of cerebral palsy cases are caused by a person鈥檚 genetics.

An estimated 34,000 people in 最新糖心Vlog, and 17 million people worldwide, are living with cerebral palsy. One in 500 最新糖心Vlogn babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which is a physical disability that affects movement and posture.

PhD candidate Sayaka Kayumi at the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide was the lead author of this two-year study, out of an international team from 最新糖心Vlog, France, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA. Emeritus Professor Alastair MacLennan AO, from the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide鈥檚 Robinson Research Institute, and Jozef Gecz, Senior Principal Research Fellow at the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide鈥檚 Adelaide Medical School, were co-senior authors.

The research paper is titled 鈥 鈥淕enomic and phenotypic characterization of 404 individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders caused by CTNNB1 variants.鈥

Tagged in featured story, research, cerebral palsy, health, genetics, medicine