Social orienting is reduced in williams syndrome
Introduction Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deletion at chromosome 7q1123. WS is associated with high empathy, relatively good face memory and low social anxiety. Despite these strengths, WS individuals typically have an intellectual disability, difficulties with vis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-04-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821003503/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797616791156948992 |
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| author | J. Kleberg D. Riby A. Norgren |
| author_facet | J. Kleberg D. Riby A. Norgren |
| author_sort | J. Kleberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction
Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deletion at chromosome 7q1123. WS is associated with high empathy, relatively good face memory and low social anxiety. Despite these strengths, WS individuals typically have an intellectual disability, difficulties with visuospatial perception, non-social anxiety and complex social cognition. Attention to other’s eyes is crucial for adaptive social understanding. Consequently, eyes trigger quick and automatic gaze shifts in typically developing individuals. It is not known whether this process is atypical in WS.
Objectives
To examine visual attention to other’s eyes in Williams syndrome.
Methods
Individuals with WS (n = 35; mean age 23.5 years) were compared to controls (n = 167) in stratified age groups (7 month, 8-12 years, 13-17 years, adults). Participants were primed to look at either the eyes or the mouth of human faces. The latency and likelihood of a first gaze shift from, or to the eyes, was measured with eye tracking.
Results
WS individuals were less likely, and slower to orient to the eyes than typically developing controls in all age groups from eight years of age (all p <.001), but did not differ from 7 months old infants. In contrast to healthy individuals from eight years and above, WS individuals did not show a preference to orient towards the eyes relative to the mouth.
Conclusions
Despite the hyper-social behavioral phenotype, WS is associated with reduced attention to other’s eyes during early stages of processing. This could contribute to the difficulties with complex social cognition observed in this group.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:46:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7eed801a707244a6bbd65363e512f079 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:46:23Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-7eed801a707244a6bbd65363e512f0792023-11-17T05:07:32ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852021-04-0164S124S12510.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.350Social orienting is reduced in williams syndromeJ. Kleberg0D. Riby1A. Norgren2Department Of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Department Of Molecular Medicine And Surgery, Karolinska institutet, Stockholm, SwedenCentre For Developmental Disorders Department Of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United KingdomDepartment Of Molecular Medicine And Surgery, Karolinska institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Introduction Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deletion at chromosome 7q1123. WS is associated with high empathy, relatively good face memory and low social anxiety. Despite these strengths, WS individuals typically have an intellectual disability, difficulties with visuospatial perception, non-social anxiety and complex social cognition. Attention to other’s eyes is crucial for adaptive social understanding. Consequently, eyes trigger quick and automatic gaze shifts in typically developing individuals. It is not known whether this process is atypical in WS. Objectives To examine visual attention to other’s eyes in Williams syndrome. Methods Individuals with WS (n = 35; mean age 23.5 years) were compared to controls (n = 167) in stratified age groups (7 month, 8-12 years, 13-17 years, adults). Participants were primed to look at either the eyes or the mouth of human faces. The latency and likelihood of a first gaze shift from, or to the eyes, was measured with eye tracking. Results WS individuals were less likely, and slower to orient to the eyes than typically developing controls in all age groups from eight years of age (all p <.001), but did not differ from 7 months old infants. In contrast to healthy individuals from eight years and above, WS individuals did not show a preference to orient towards the eyes relative to the mouth. Conclusions Despite the hyper-social behavioral phenotype, WS is associated with reduced attention to other’s eyes during early stages of processing. This could contribute to the difficulties with complex social cognition observed in this group. Disclosure No significant relationships. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821003503/type/journal_articlevisual attentionWilliams syndromeRare genetic syndromesface processing |
| spellingShingle | J. Kleberg D. Riby A. Norgren Social orienting is reduced in williams syndrome European Psychiatry visual attention Williams syndrome Rare genetic syndromes face processing |
| title | Social orienting is reduced in williams syndrome |
| title_full | Social orienting is reduced in williams syndrome |
| title_fullStr | Social orienting is reduced in williams syndrome |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social orienting is reduced in williams syndrome |
| title_short | Social orienting is reduced in williams syndrome |
| title_sort | social orienting is reduced in williams syndrome |
| topic | visual attention Williams syndrome Rare genetic syndromes face processing |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821003503/type/journal_article |
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