The symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome are believed to be caused by the dysfunction of a portion of the brain called the hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus is a small endocrine organ at the base of the brain that plays a crucial role in many bodily functions:
Hunger and satiety, temperature and pain regulation, fluid balance, puberty, emotions, and fertility.
Although hypothalamic dysfunction is believed to lead to the symptoms of PWS, it is unclear how the genetic abnormality causes hypothalamic dysfunction.