Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM) is defined by hypoplasia and upward rotation of the cerebellar vermis and cystic dilation of the fourth ventricle. Affected individuals often have motor deficits such as delayed motor development, hypotonia, and ataxia; about half have mental retardation and some have hydrocephalus. DWM is a heterogeneous disorder. The low empiric recurrence risk of approximately 1 to 2% for nonsyndromic DWM suggests that mendelian inheritance is unlikely (summary by Murray et al., 1985).

A syndromic disorder with the association between Dandy-Walker malformation and postaxial polydactyly as a major feature. The Dandy-Walker malformation has a variable expression and characteristics of a posterior fossa cyst communicating with the fourth ventricle, the partial or complete absence of the cerebellar vermis, and facultative hydrocephalus. Postaxial polydactyly includes tetramelic postaxial polydactyly of hands and feet with possible enlargement of the fifth metacarpal and metatarsal bones, as well as bifid fifth metacarpals.

Congenital muscular dystrophy-dystroglycanopathy with brain and eye anomalies (type A), which includes both the more severe Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) and the slightly less severe muscle-eye-brain disease (MEB), is an autosomal recessive disorder with characteristic brain and eye malformations, profound mental retardation, congenital muscular dystrophy, and death usually in the first years of life. It represents the most severe end of a phenotypic spectrum of similar disorders resulting from defective glycosylation of DAG1 (128239), collectively known as 'dystroglycanopathies' (van Reeuwijk et al., 2005). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of muscular dystrophy-dystroglycanopathy type A, see MDDGA1 (236670).

Holoprosencephaly-14 (HPE14) is an autosomal recessive condition characterized by severe developmental delay secondary to brain malformations within the holoprosencephaly spectrum (Drissi et al., 2022). For general phenotypic information and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of holoprosencephaly, see HPE1 (236100).

Porphyria-related encephalopathy (ENCEP) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by the onset of progressive neurologic abnormalities in early infancy. Features include global developmental delay, poor walking or inability to walk, impaired intellectual development, hypotonia, ataxia, dysarthria, spasticity, ocular abnormalities, and peripheral neuropathy. The disease course is usually rapidly progressive and may lead to death in childhood. Laboratory studies show increased plasma and urinary levels of the putatively neurotoxic porphyrin precursors delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), porphobilinogen (PBG), and uroporphyrin resulting from deficient HMBS enzymatic activity (Solis et al., 2004).