UCP Facts

Active national programs of research are being vigorously pursued to prevent cerebral palsy and improve the quality of life for persons with cerebral palsy. The four organizations with major research programs are the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation in the private sector, and the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research in the government sector. The research questions being addressed include:

• What are the factors that predispose the developing fetal brain to injury? Can these factors be eliminated or minimized?
• What are the causes of injury to the developing fetal brain? Can the developing fetal and newborn brain be protected? What are the causes of developmental delays and failure to thrive?
• Why are low birth weight in the full-term and the premature infant important risk factors for cerebral palsy?
• Can cerebral palsy be diagnosed before birth and better diagnosed shortly after birth?
• Which available treatments are most effective for specific disabilities of persons with cerebral palsy?
• Based on new knowledge now available in the medical, surgical, behavioral and bioengineering sciences, what improvements can be made in the quality of life of people with cerebral palsy?
• What are the effects of aging on a person with disabilities due to cerebral palsy?
• Can the damaged brain be "repaired"?