Physical, Functional and Neurological Effects of Exercise in Children with CP

Clinical Center

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Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Major Findings: Recruitment for this protocol started April 2010. We have no closed enrollment and are preparing manuscripts. The major findings were a significant and marked change in the speed with which children were able to perform the reciprocal leg exercise with approximately a third of those also having a clinically significant improvement in gait speed. (the change in gait speed for the group was not significant). Another important funding is that this group of patients showed greater than normal functional connectivity across the two sensorimotor hemispheres. After the exercise we found a correlation between the change in voluntary speed and the change in connectivity, such that those who had a greater change in speed, had a greater reduction of connectivity suggesting that the brain pathways improved and became more reciprocal instead of synchronized as a result of training. Project Impact Statement: This will be the first reported efficacy trial of both motor-assisted cycling and elliptical training in CP. Since reciprocal coordination improved as a result of training,these findings warrant further comparison with existing treatments such as BWSTT through clinical trials. This is also one of the few studies with pre-post brain imaging results in children with bilateral cerebral palsy.