Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome

Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome
Classification and external resources
Specialty	medical genetics, Neurology
OMIM	300523
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Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome is a rare X-linked inherited disorder of brain development that causes moderate to severe intellectual disability and problems with movement. This condition, which occurs almost exclusively in males, disrupts development from before birth.

Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome, which is named eponymously for William Allan, Florence C. Dudley, and C. Nash Herndon, results from a mutation of the thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 (also referred to as SLC16A2). Consecutively, thyroid hormones are unable to enter the nervous system, which depends on thyroid signaling for proper function and development.

Most children with Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome have weak muscle tone (hypotonia) and underdevelopment of many muscles (muscle hypoplasia). As they get older, they usually develop joint deformities called contractures, which restrict the movement of certain joints. Abnormal muscle stiffness (spasticity), muscle weakness, and involuntary movements of the arms and legs also limit mobility. As a result, many people with Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome are unable to walk independently and become wheelchair-bound by adulthood.

Mutations in the SLC16A2 gene cause Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome. The SLC16A2 gene, also known as MCT8, provides instructions for making a protein that plays a critical role in the development of the nervous system. This protein transports a particular hormone into nerve cells in the developing brain. This hormone, called triiodothyronine or T3, is produced by the thyroid. T3 appears to be critical for the normal formation and growth of nerve cells, as well as the development of junctions between nerve cells (synapses) where cell-to-cell communication occurs. T3 and other forms of thyroid hormone also help regulate the development of other organs and control the rate of chemical reactions in the body.

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