Genetic problems cause about 14% of cerebral palsy cases, and many of the implicated genes control the wiring of brain circuits during early fetal development, new research shows.

The largest genetic study of cerebral palsy supports previous findings and provides “the strongest evidence to date that a significant portion of cerebral palsy cases can be linked to rare genetic mutations, and in doing so identified several key genetic pathways involved,” said study co-senior author Dr. Michael Kruer. He’s a neurogeneticist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

The study was largely funded by the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“We hope this will give patients living with cerebral palsy and their loved ones a better understanding of the disorder, and doctors a clearer road map for diagnosing and treating them,” Kruer said in an