Anencephaly is a cephalic disorder characterized by the absence of a large portion of a baby’s brain, skull and/or scalp. Anencephaly is a neural tube defect that results from the cephalic (head) portion of the neural tube failing to close during growth. This defect usually occurs between the 23rd and 26th day of pregnancy.

The cause of Anencephaly has long been disputed, especially due to the fact that Anencephaly does not follow direct patterns of heredity.

It has been suggested, however, that women who take insulin for diabetes or epilepsy medications are more likely to have a child with a neural tube defect. It is also suggested that women of childbearing age who meet their daily-required intake of folic acid may significantly reduce the probability of neural tube defect formation.