Sonic Hedgehog Protein : A Novel Approach to the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders?

Sonic hedgehog is a member of a newly discovered family of molecules that are active during development in vertebrates. Sonic hedgehog induces development of key CNS neuronal cell types, including the dopaminergic neurons that are destroyed in Parkinson's disease. In addition to developmental-inducing activity, Sonic hedgehog has neurotrophic and neuroprotective activities on many of these same cell types. These activities suggest interesting clinical potentials for Sonic hedgehog in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and in acute CNS trauma such as stroke.