It is well documented that many children with cerebral palsy will display sensory deficits. Recent neuroimaging breakthroughs have illuminated that the sensory processing deficits are likely due microstructural alterations that impact the strength of the activity of the neural generators in cortex and spinal cord. This review highlights these neurophysiological insights and the current treatment trends that are being used to target the sensory processing deficits seen in children with cerebral palsy. Furthermore, we identify knowledge gaps in our understanding of the somatosensory system that have yet to be address, and how alterations in somatosensory processing impact the ability of children with cerebral palsy to learn new motor skills.
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Partial funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health (R01-HD101833, R01-HD108205, F31-AG081043).
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Kurz, M.J., Busboom, M.T. Contributions of the sensory system to motor learning. Pediatr Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-024-03421-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-024-03421-y
