Dandy-Walker Syndrome Causes & Risks

Causes

Dandy-Walker syndrome occurs during brain development before birth. The reason the brain does not develop normally is not clearly understood. Recently, a gene has been discovered that appears to be the cause of at least some cases.

Risk Factors

Dandy Walker Syndrome may be inherited, therefore having a parent with Dandy Walker Syndrome may increase the risk of occurrence in the children.

Aside from association with certain inherited genetic conditions, there are no known risk factors. The following factors are associated with Dandy-Walker syndrome, but do not increase the risk of it’s occurrence:

• Absence of the corpus callosum, which connects the brain's hemispheres
• Malformations of the heart, face, limbs, fingers, and toes