In 2018, our Foundation decided to devote a massive and unprecedented support to research on cerebral palsy, by launching a major call for project. This call of an unprecedented amount of € 1.5 M was open to large-scale projects over a period of 3 to 5 years.
The Foundation has retained the CAP' project : Functional, neuroplastic and biomechanical changes induced by early Hand and Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremities (HABIT-ILE) in pre-school children with uni-and-bilateral cerebral palsy.
This project is led by a European Consortium associating the following teams:
- Prof. Sylvain Brochard, service de MPR, CHRU de Brest, France (Coordinator)
- Prof. Mickael Dinomais, MPR service, CHRU D'Angers, France
- Prof. Yannick Bleyenheuft, Institute of NeuroScience, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
- Prof. Andrea Guzetta, University of Pisa, Italy
- Prof. Stéphane Sizonenko, Geneva University Hospital , Switzerland
- Prof. Christopher Newman, University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland
- Prof. Grégoire Legall and Emmanuel Nowak (CHRU, Brest, France) and Dr. Inmaculada Riquelme (University of Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain) will also collaborate in this project
Key points of the project:
- The development of early and effective interventions is one of the challenges of rehabilitation in children with cerebral palsy. The HABIT-ILE (hand and arm bimanual intensive therapy including lower extremity) therapy is a new type of intensive rehabilitation involving constant stimulation of the upper and lower limbs. This method has shown that it improves the motor function of upper and lower limbs in children over 6 years of age with unilateral and bilateral cerebral palsy.
- The main objective of the CAP’ project is to evaluate in 100 children of preschool age (1-4 years) the effect of two weeks of HABIT-ILE therapy on the bi-manual performance (Assisting Hand Assessement AHA and mini AHA) in 50 children with unilateral cerebral palsy unilateral (randomised comparative trial 1) and on the Gross Motor Function Measurement (GMFM) in 50 children with bilateral cerebral palsy (randomised comparative trial 2)
compared to two weeks of normal motor activity (control group).
Children with unilateral or bilateral cerebral palsy, aged 1-4 years, who are able to follow complete age-specific instructions and tests may be included in the study.
- This project started at the beginning of 2019. The therapy camps for 50 children with unilateral CP took place in Brussels, Brest and Pisa from March 2019 to November 2020. Two therapy camps concerning 16 children with bilateral CP also took place in Brussels in March and September 2020. Due to the COVID 19 epidemic, some therapy camps had to be postponed to 2021. This project continue in 2022.
Links and Documents:
To go further: Fiche projet CAP' (ENG)
Cerebral Palsy Research Letter n°23 : Intensive and play-based rehabilitation for toddlers
Le billet de la Fondation: Appel d'offre Grand Projet (FR)
Le billet de la Fondation: Sélection des Projets (FR)
Le billet de la Fondation: Projet CAP' (FR)
Témoignage : Thérapie intensive HABIT-ILE pour notre fille (Motricité Cérébrale 39 (2018) 127-129, C Kandalaft Cabrol, M Cabrol) (FR)