Relationship Between Sonic Hedgehog Protein [BDNF, Oxidative Stress]...and Autism Spectrum Disorders - Neurochem Res. 2012 Feb; 37(2): 394–400.

[Jigaboo Jones]

Neurochem Res. 2012 Feb; 37(2): 394–400.
Published online 2011 Oct 9. doi: [10.1007/s11064-011-0624-x]

(Source: PubMed/PMC Full Text)

Relationship Between Sonic Hedgehog Protein, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Oxidative Stress in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Laila Y. Al-Ayadhi*
Author information | Article notes | Copyright and License information Disclaimer

[ This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. ]

Abstract
The etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is not well known but oxidative stress has been suggested to play a pathological role. We report here that the serum levels of Sonic hedgehog (SHH) protein and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) might be linked to oxidative stress in ASD. By using the whole blood or polymorphonuclear leukocytes, we demonstrated that autistic children produced a significantly higher level of oxygen free radicals (OFR). In addition, we found significantly higher levels of serum SHH protein in children with mild as well as severe form of autism. We also found that the serum level of BDNF was significantly reduced in autistic children with mild form of the disorder but not with severe form of the disorder. Our findings are the first to report a correlation between SHH, BDNF and OFR in autistic children, suggesting a pathological role of oxidative stress and SHH in autism spectrum disorders.
​

TL;DR - the 'tism literally is correlated to elevated levels of something called Sonic Hedgehog in the blood.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorders, Sonic hedgehog, BDNF, OFR​

* Dr Al-Ayadhi is definitely a highly legit specialist autism researcher who has published a bunch of shit about some pretty interesting and sometimes genuinely esoteric stuff relating to the physiology of autism.

But Soni—OK I can't even...

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National Institute of Health (U.S.)
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/SHH

SHH gene (sonic hedgehog) / Normal function​

The SHH gene provides instructions for making a protein called Sonic Hedgehog. This protein functions as a chemical signal that is essential for embryonic development. Sonic Hedgehog plays a role in cell growth, cell specialization, and the normal shaping (patterning) of the body. This protein is important for development of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system), eyes, limbs, and many other parts of the body.

Sonic Hedgehog is necessary for the development of the front part of the brain (forebrain). This signaling protein helps establish the line that separates the right and left sides of the forebrain (the midline). Specifically, Sonic Hedgehog establishes the midline for the underside (ventral surface) of the forebrain. Sonic Hedgehog and other signaling proteins are needed to form the right and left halves (hemispheres) of the brain.

Sonic Hedgehog also has an important role in the formation of the eyes. During early development, the cells that develop into the eyes form a single structure called the eye field. This structure is located in the center of the developing face. Sonic hedgehog signaling causes the eye field to separate into two distinct eyes.​

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The New York Times, 11 January 1994
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/11/science/a-gene-named-sonic.html

A Gene Named Sonic

Dr. Robert Riddle who is totally not autistic looking at all*, a postdoctoral fellow working in Dr. Tabin's lab, detected what proved to be the most fascinating hedgehog gene of all, he >rebeled against the system shitfucking autism on a stick!!!! and decided to call the gene Sonic hedgehog, after a character in a Sega computer game.

Many other scientists detest the new name, saying it trivializes a noble molecule. "It's the kind of idea that you talk about in a pub and say, 'Wouldn't it be funny if we named it Sonic?' " said Dr. Jim Smith, head of the developmental biology laboratory at the National Institute for Medical Research in London. "But then you don't do it." (based)

Robert Riddle, PhD​

So, the hero of this little saga, the one who "rebelled against the system" (Shadow tier edgy!) — what of him?

Spoiler

Spoiler

I have this theory that you can often diagnose autism just by looking at someone.

edit//folded content from below into the OP

 

[Lysenko]

Did someone hack into the national library of medicine? I'm rofl is this really legit?
Take that antivaxxers, it's really the sonic the hedgehog protein all along!

 

[Jigaboo Jones]

This is really a fucking thing. I thought for a second that it had to be one of those bullshit pay-to-publish journals and some faggot had snuck in this and it was epic fucking trololololololz, but no, some faggot actually named a protein after sonic the hedgehog, and someone else found out that it's unironically connected to autism. I think this is proof that we live in a simulation-universe that is stage-managed by some sperg.

I seriously can't with this. Like, there are no words. I cannot even say anything to take the piss out of it. It is just staggeringly fucking autistic, except it's totally not, it's like scientific research went through the warp realm of autistic chaos without their Gellar field on and got skullfucked by daemons of the chaos gods of autism, except it's really actually a thing.

seriously though - Apparently, the sonic-hedgehog protein was named without any knowledge of the connection with autism; it has something to do with the growth of eyes during the first trimester of pregnancy and is involved in other stuff, but then, like, it turned out to be, like, the most staggeringly autistic aptonym ever.

 

[Rand /pol/]

Based

 

[Sperglord Dante]

https://kiwifarms.net/threads/the-sonic-hedgehog-protein-may-cause-autism.424/

 

[millais]

I always thought they named the signaling protein Sonic Hedgehog because in the original study,the animal model they were using was chicken embryo and they used a blue-colored dye to stain the embryos for histological purposes so it really did vaguely resemble a blue hedgehog. But apparently the research team really just liked Sonic and that was the only reason why they gave the protein that name.

 

[PoisonedBun]

Where's the all of the above answer in the poll?

 

[Jigaboo Jones]

according to Wikipedia it was one dude who (at least so he says) his daughter had some Sonic comic books. my imagination makes me want to suspect he was a closet Sonicfag but who knows.

and yeah apparently I'm :late: feel free to vote accordingly in the poll

 

[Calooby]

Well... gotta sped fast!

 

[Jigaboo Jones]

The New York Times, 11 January 1994
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/11/science/a-gene-named-sonic.html

NAMING the varieties of hedgehog genes, which play a key role in embryo development, has been a source of friction among research teams. One group wanted to give the varieties numbers, another letters.

Dr. Clifford J. Tabin, a developmental biologist at Harvard Medical School, suggested they name each newly detected gene after a species of real hedgehog. This scheme stuck for the first three genes, which were designated Indian hedgehog, moonrat hedgehog and desert hedgehog. But when Dr. Robert Riddle, a postdoctoral fellow working in Dr. Tabin's lab, detected what proved to be the most fascinating hedgehog gene of all, he rebeled against the system and decided to call the gene Sonic hedgehog, after a character in a Sega computer game.

Many other scientists detest the new name, saying it trivializes a noble molecule. "It's the kind of idea that you talk about in a pub and say, 'Wouldn't it be funny if we named it Sonic?' " said Dr. Jim Smith, head of the developmental biology laboratory at the National Institute for Medical Research in London. "But then you don't do it."

^ THIS was the guy who "rebelled" to name it Sonic Hedgehog protein, apparently. (doesn't look (:autism or anything*now he looks fairly normal)

https://tabin.hms.harvard.edu/staff-members/robert-riddle/

In essence, that would mean that the 'tism has gone full circle around this gene, and that the universe just sometimes does shit for the lulz.

> this world belongs to the sperglords. we just live in it.

edit//made it even more autistic

 

[ResidentHousepet]

*White-girl screaming intensifies* but seriously, this shit really brings out my inner Professor Farnsworth.

 

[BScCollateral]

My understanding is that a gene was discovered in flies and found to be involved in the development of bilateral symmetry. It was called "Hedgehog" because if it didn't work, the developing embryo resembled a hedgehog. It could have been worse, because it's literally involved in making a difference between your ass and your head.

Later, in mammals, this was refined into three genes: Desert Hedgehog, Indian Hedgehog, and Sonic Hedgehog, all named to remind people these are Hedgehog genes, and because scientists like joking around.

And yeah, I've heard "Sonic Hedgehog" used as an explicit example as to why scientists shouldn't joke around with names. Imagine being a doctor trying to explain that someone lost their baby because of a defective Sonic Hedgehog gene.

 

[homonculus]

Quick schematic of the mechanism at play here for those interested in biochemistry:

Spoiler: diagram

 

[m0rnutz]

Seven years behind man. But was the doctor autistic?

 

[Basketball Jones]

I legit thought this article was hit by a word-filter and was chuckling while reading through it.


but it’s actually real and I’m fucking howling holy shit this dude had to know there’s no way this is coincidence

 

[Cardenio]

I like to imagine the Academy Award winning Chris-Chan film starts out with the fetus of baby Chris, then we go to microscopic level to see the Sonic Hedgehog Protein interacting strangely with the Pikachurin https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikachurin gene, resulting in Chris.

 

[BScCollateral]

There's also a related Echidna Hedgehog gene in zebrafish.

 

[Jigaboo Jones]

I've heard "Sonic Hedgehog" used as an explicit example as to why scientists shouldn't joke around with names. Imagine being a doctor trying to explain that someone lost their baby because of a defective Sonic Hedgehog gene.

You know, when I hear it put that way, I have +ZERO+ fucking compunctions (see my status from last night) about the fact that I just effectively doxed the guy.

Spoiler

You could, theoretically I guess, send him email and call him at the office to tell him your feelings on the matter if you uh, did a click click somewhere up there in one of my posts

Spoiler

But that would be fucking gay and lame, especially as he named it 25 years ago

Spoiler

Still, though, those parents hit me right in the feels

but it’s actually real and I’m fucking howling holy shit this dude had to know there’s no way this is coincidence

Yo! My long lost cousin 'n shit!

But no, really, @BScCollateral and other sciencefags, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that he definitely didn't know that it had to do with autism, he was just autistic his damn self.

Seven years behind man. But was the doctor autistic?

Look at his picture above (to be fair, from 1994; and he looks like a decent guy now) and give me your professional opinion.

 

[BScCollateral]

You know, when I hear it put that way, I have +ZERO+ fucking compunctions (see my status from last night) about the fact that I just effectively doxed the guy.

This is one of those gray areas. I mean, when he called it something whimsical and goofy, I'm not even sure he knew it was carried by humans, let alone that it's significant in some serious development issues.

Geneticists like silliness as much as anyone. In this case, that bit them in the ass.

 

[Jigaboo Jones]

That's true, I guess. I'm a clinician, not a "pure" scientist who's work has potential clinical implications, the ethical dilemmas we deal with tend to be a lot more direct. Although I'm all for using whimsical or downright offensive terms ("FLK" for "funny looking kid", to use a really antiquated example that actually got brought up in a lawsuit) ...but when the patient can't fucking hear you.

Which makes me think: couldn't they have just renamed the shit when it turned out that it could potentially be, like, profoundly offensive and distressing for people to hear? (And I don't mean in a tumblrista trigger-warning way; the above example of a neonatologist describing this to parents is deeply fucked up however you slice it.)

Sweet niggertits, I mean, we rename shit all the time. Shit, "Asperger's Syndrome" doesn't even exist anymore, technically.