Abnormally small brain

When an infant's head is smaller than expected, it may be microcephaly — a brain abnormality that often develops in the womb and affects child development.

Brain malformations is damage or abnormal development of the brain and nervous system. Starts long before a baby is born. Learn types and treatments.

Microcephaly is a condition that is present at birth in which the baby's head is much smaller than normal for an infant of that age and gender. Micro means small and cephaly refers to the head. Most children with microcephaly also have a small brain and intellectual disability. However, some children with small heads have normal intelligence.

Microcephaly is when your baby's head is smaller than normal, caused by chomosomal conditions, exposure to Zika virus and more. Learn about the health problems microcephaly causes and how to prevent microcephaly in your baby.

Mouse brains are tiny and smooth. Ferret brains are larger and convoluted—and could provide the missing link in understanding how humans acquired big brains. Children with microcephaly, whose brains are abnormally small, have a part in the story too. Microcephaly is notorious for its recent link to the Zika virus, but it can also be caused by mutations in various genes. Some of these genes have been shown to be essential for growth of the cerebral cortex, the part of our brain that handles higher-order thinking.

Studying a new type of pinhead-size, lab-grown brain made with technology first suggested by three high school students, Johns Hopkins researchers have confirmed a key Zika virus causes microcephaly and other damage in fetal brains: by infecting specialized stem cells that build its outer layer, the cortex

Learn about the symptoms and causes of microcephaly from the experts at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Microcephaly is a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than normal. It is most often present at birth (congenital). Most children with microcephaly also have a small brain and an intellectual disability. Some children with small heads have normal intelligence.