index, cephalic: see cephalic index.

Cephalic is a term of, in, or relating to the cephalon, or head. The term is derived from the Old French word cephalique, from Latin cephalicus, and from Greek kephalikos (which comes from the word kephalē, meaning "head").

In some arthropods, especially trilobites (pictured at right), the cephalon, or cephalic region, is the region of the head composed of fused segments.

Cephalic Disorders

Cephalic disorders are inborn afflictions which result from "damage to, or abnormal development of, the budding nervous system." Some of the more common Cephalic Disorders include:

• Anencephaly
• Colpocephaly
• Holoprosencephaly
• Hydranencephaly
• Iniencephaly
• Lissencephaly
• Megalencephaly
• Microcephaly
• Porencephaly
• Schizencephaly

Among the other, less common cephalies are:

• Acephaly
• Exencephaly
• Macrocephaly
• Micrencephaly
• Octocephaly
• Brachycephaly
• Oxycephaly
• Plagiocephaly
• Scaphocephaly
• Trigonocephaly

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is currently "conducting and supporting research on normal and abnormal brain and nervous system development."

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