What Causes Athetoid Cerebral Palsy?
Athetoid cerebral palsy, like all cerebral palsy types, is caused by brain damage. The damage creating athetoid cerebral palsy symptoms is located in the cerebellum or basal ganglia. These areas of the brain help control movement. Specifically, the cerebellum and basal ganglia are responsible for processing the nerve signals enabling coordinated, smooth movement and maintaining body posture. Damage to these areas can make people develop slow, random, involuntary movements. The brain damage causing athetoid cerebral palsy can occur in many ways. Brain damage causing cerebral palsy in general is usually the result of a lack of oxygen reaching the brain during fetal development. Other ways brain damage can occur include: Poor pre-natal care, alcohol or drug abuse while pregnant, head trauma, viral infection during pregnancy or bleeding in the brain. Studies have shown athetoid cerebral palsy has a higher than normal association with brain damage potentially caused by jaundice. Brain damag
