Context

• Researchers from China confirmed the pivotal role of a gene called SASS6 in microcephaly pathogenesis.

About

• Microcephaly is a condition in which a baby’s head is much smaller than normal.
• Most children with microcephaly also have a small brain, poor motor function, poor speech, and abnormal facial features, and are intellectually disabled.
• The roots of the condition lie in the peak phase of brain development in the embryo when the cells that eventually become neurons fail to divide normally.