The Hope Center for Neurological Disorders has received a $10 million gift from the Danforth Foundation for research into the diagnosis and treatment of cerebral palsy and other conditions caused by injury to the brain and/or central nervous system.

About Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a group of neurological disorders that impairs movement and is caused by damage to the brain, usually before birth. However, what causes damage to the brain during this time is largely unknown. In some cases, damage can occur as a result of trauma during or shortly after delivery.

The condition is often diagnosed in early childhood, when symptoms begin to become more obvious. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but various treatments can help improve an individual’s quality of life.

Another $10M for Research
Other conditions the research funding will support include:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Stroke

The Hope Center was created in 2004 and represents a partnership between Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis and the public charity, Hope Happens. Over the next five years, the two organizations will raise another $10 million for the same research.

Very preterm birth - prior to 32 weeks gestation - is one of the greatest risk factors for cerebral palsy, and a new study suggests that the area where a pregnant woman lives may influence her risk of delivering preterm.

Black Women Face Greater Risk

Researchers looked at preterm birth rates among black, white and Hispanic women in 168 metropolitan areas in the U.S. with the goal of determining whether factors like city size and region have an effect on these rates.

The findings, published in the current issue of Public Health Reports, suggest that where a woman lives does influence her risk of very preterm delivery. Furthermore, the research showed that in each city, the risk for black women was two to three times what it was for white women.

A Clue for Reducing the Risk

Researchers have been aware of racial disparities in very preterm birth rates for decades but have not been able to fully explain the increased risk for black women. Now, researchers have a new possibility to consider in their attempts to understand and reduce women’s risk for very preterm birth: residential area.