The term cerebral palsy refers to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but don’t worsen over time. The cerebral palsy is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements.  The majority of children with cerebral palsy are born with it, although it may not be detected until months or years later. The early signs of cerebral palsy usually appear before a child reaches 3 years of age. The most common sign is a lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements (ataxia).

According to the United Cerebral Palsy, about 2 or 3 children in 1,000 over the age of 3 are diagnosed with cerebral palsy every year in the U.S.

The study, which was conducted by Dr. Dwight J. Rouse of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, examined 2,241 women who had been diagnosed at high risk for giving birth prematurely, between 24 and 31 weeks into their pregnancies. They were randomized to receive an intravenous infusion of magnesium sulfate solution or an identically appearing placebo.

The magnesium sulfate infusions were administered when delivery seemed imminent. The women received 6 grams infused over 20-30 minutes followed by a maintenance infusion of 2 grams per hour. If delivery did not occur within 12 hours, the infusion was stopped and resumed later, when delivery once again appeared at hand.

The scientists examined the infants examined for signs of cerebral palsy at birth and over the next two years.

According to their findings, of the babies who survived, moderate or severe cerebral palsy occurred in about 2 percent of those in the treatment group compared to about 4 percent of those whose mothers didn't get the compound.

“This is one of the most promising breakthroughs in the management of high-risk pregnancies in more than 30 years,” said Dr. John Thorp, a study co-author and McAllister distinguished professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“And virtually every delivery room in the United States is already stocked with magnesium sulfate solutions that are given to pregnant women during childbirth for other reasons,” he explained.

The US researchers said that an earlier study conducted in Australia, which included more than 3,000 women, reached similar results. Viewing both studies together, the researchers in the U.S. study concluded that the use of magnesium sulfate to prevent cerebral palsy in the children of women at imminent risk of early preterm delivery “should be strongly considered.”