Development of a Neuroprotective Agent For Cerebral Palsy Prevention

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cerebral palsy (CP), the most common physical disability in childhood, afflicts more than 800,000 Americans and many more worldwide. In addition to motor difficulties, many children with CP also suffer from intellectualdisability, epilepsy, nutritional problems, and language dysfunction. Furthermore, almost 90% of CP-associated brain injuries occur in utero or around the time of birth. Therefore, a medication to prevent CP needs to be able to be safely administered either during pregnancy to the mom and/or shortly after birth to the neonate. The goal of this Phase I grant proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility that a naturally-occurring hormone can be developed into a medicament for CP prevention. There is already evidence supporting the role of this hormone as a neuroprotective agent against CP; receptors for this hormone are expressed in the developing brain, and administration of this hormone has been shown to decrease neuronal cell death, promote the prolifer