title: Immunohistochemical study of muscle biopsy in children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: Muscle biopsy was examined in 20 children with cerebral palsy, using immunohistochemical methods for marker of denervation neural cell adhesion molecules (N-CAM) in addition to standard techniques. Histological and histochemical study showed mild myopathic changes, type 1 predominance, and type 1 and type 2 hypotrophy, in accord with previous observations. Immunohistochemical study showed N-CAM expression in most biopsies (15/20), usually in scattered fibers, whereas in four patients aged less than 6 years it was expressed in grouped fibers. Our study supports the hypothesis of motor unit remodeling as a consequence of spasticity, especially in early phases of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, University of Parma, Via del Quartiere 4, I-43100 Italy. marbini@unipr.it
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marbini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cioni
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bellanova
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gemignani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001706:Biopsy; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D018656:Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D018657:Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000209:etiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000209:etiology; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules