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Only a fraction of the hundreds of genes previously associated with cerebral palsy are strongly linked to this condition, according to a new study of data from more than 5,000 people led by researchers from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX).

The findings suggest cerebral palsy may be better described as a collection of symptoms that can occur in many different conditions because of genetic variants and environmental factors—not a single disease with genetic causes. The study appears today in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in children, with up to 10,000 babies diagnosed in the United States every year. Unlike many other neuromotor diseases found in children, CP is nonprogressive, meaning that it does not worsen over time.

3/9/26, 8:14 pm0 reposts0 likes

With rehab and PT, many patients can see improvements in their symptoms. While it has largely been linked to prematurity, temporary loss of oxygen to the brain, or other events at birth, research over the past decade has suggested that genetic factors contribute to CP in many children.

This study challenges some of those assumptions. The team examined genetic evidence from 21 studies involving 5,440 people diagnosed w/CP. Those studies reported potentially causal variants in a total of 515 genes. The new analysis found a statistically significant association with CP for only 89.