microcephaly

/ ˌmaɪkrəʊsɪˈfælɪk, ˌmaɪkrəʊˈsɛfəlɪ /

noun

1. the condition of having an abnormally small head or cranial capacity Compare megacephaly

Other Word Forms

• microcephalous adjective
• microcephalic adjective

Example Sentences

Tamara had microcephaly - an abnormally small head - one of many conditions resulting from her mother being infected with the Zika virus while pregnant.

From BBC

Known as Oropouche virus, it can trigger a fever that may cause pregnant people to miscarry or their babies to have birth defects known as microcephaly, or smaller than usual heads.

From Salon

That’s because an infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly, which is when a baby's head is much smaller than expected, and other congenital malformations like limb contractures, high muscle tone, eye abnormalities, and hearing loss.

From Salon

The team's finding suggests that maintaining the neuronal NMD function is essential for early brain development to prevent microcephaly.

From Science Daily

"In many cases, animal models simply do not recapitulate either the characteristics or the degree of severity seen in human brain diseases such as microcephaly," Song said.

From Science Daily