• G Bradley Schaefer.
• University of Nebraska Medical Center, Munroe-Meyer Institute for Rehabilitation and Genetics Medicine, Omaha, NE 68198-5430, USA. gbschaef@unmc.edu
• Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2008 Mar 1; 15 (1): 21-6.

AbstractCerebral palsy refers to a collective of neurologic conditions that share in common disorders of motor function and posture. Traditionally, and still today in many circles, the term is considered almost synonymous with brain injury. Multiple lines of evidence, however, point to the fact that cerebral palsy is rarely caused by problems with perinatal management. In fact, a mounting body of evidence points to strong genetic influences on the occurrence of cerebral palsy. Like most neurogenetic conditions, cerebral palsy exhibits complex inheritance. The best descriptor of the inheritance of cerebral palsy would be that of "multifactorial inheritance." This implies etiologic and genetic heterogeneity with complex interactions with multiple environmental influences. This article reviews known genetic influences on the origin of cerebral palsy. A proposed scheme for the genetic evaluation in identifying the etiology of cerebral palsy is provided.

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