Our Research
Research Projects at the Center for Cerebral Palsy
Muscle Stiffness in Cerebral Palsy
Muscular Changes in Cerebral Palsy
CP is a disorder of movement that results from an injury to the developing brain. While the brain injuries have been studied extensively previously, the resulting effects on the muscle are not well understood but include weakness and stiffness. No previous researcher has extensively evaluated the changes in that occurs as children with CP grow. To that point, we are currently studying small muscle biopsies from children with and without CP to better understand the changes that occur in CP muscle as a first step toward a better understanding of the disease, which will hopefully lead to future improvements in the care of patients with CP and other neuromuscular diseases.
For more information, please contact us at CCP@mednet.ucla.edu
Selective Motor Control
The Center for Cerebral Palsy at UCLA team developed the clinical assessment tool SCALE, or Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity.
SCALE is designed for health care practitioners to evaluate the selective voluntary motor control of children and adults with the spastic form of cerebral palsy.
You can read more about SCALE here:
The video below instructs providers on SCALE administration and scoring. Before playing the video, we recommend that you have a copy of the SCALE scoring sheet. If you do not have a copy, you can download it here:
Written instructions for SCALE administration and grading can be downloaded here:
SCALE is appropriate for children and adults 4 years of age and up. Our Mini-SCALE tool for the assessment of infants and younger children is now in development!