Epidemiology Of The Developmental Disabilities

Neurological Disorders And Stroke

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Our investigations relating to the etiology of cerebral palsy (CP) have focused on the roles of intrauterine exposure to infection, and on coagulation factors associated with arterial ischemic stroke in the fetus or newborn. Current studies include PCR for polymorphisms associated with CP in very premature infants, in collaboration with colleagues at Oakland Children's Hospital, and investigation by PCR of antibodies to specific viral or bacterial infections in CP, in collaboration with Robert Yolken at Johns Hopkins. Both these studies use materials from archived neonatal blood spots of children with CP and controls. With Dr. John Lynch we continue to accrue children with pediatric stroke, investigating coagulation disorders by means of hematologic tests and PCR of blood or buccal smear, and are exploring the further study of some of the findings with laboratories at the NIH specialized in the investigation of NOS and lipoprotein absormalities. In collaboration with Dr. P.Nelson (NICHD), we have recently completed analyses by Luminex of certain neuropeptides, neurotrophins, and cytokines in neonatal blood of children with a later diagnosis of autism; two manuscripts are in preparation. Dr. Terry Phillips is analyzing some of these same factors by recycling immunoaffinity chromatography. With Dr. Lisa Croen we are performing the most tightly controlled of available studies of head growth over the first years of life in children with autism born and retained in Kaiser Permanente hospitals in northern California. We have obtained from the University of Maryland brain bank postmortem brain specimens from persons with autism and controls for immunohistochemical staining with antibodies to neurotrophins and neuropeptides by Dr. Joanna Hill, (NICHD).