Home > Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders > Holoprosencephaly

Definition

Holoprosencephaly is a disorder in which there is a failure of the front part of the brain to properly separate into what is commonly know as the right and left halves of the brain. This lack of separation is often accompanied by abnormalities of the face and skull. Holoprosencephaly may occur individually or as a component of a larger disorder.

Description

Types of holoprosencephaly

Holoprosencephaly comes in three different types: alobar, semilobar, and lobar. Each of these classifications is based on the amount of separation between what is commonly known as the left and right halves of the brain. Alobar holoprosencephaly is considered to be the most severe form of the disease, in which the separation...