Differentiating social preference and social anxiety phenotypes in fragile X syndrome using an eye gaze analysis: a pilot study

Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

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[1] 0000 0000 9025 8099, grid.239573.9, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, 452292, Cincinnati, OH, USA;0000 0001 2179 9593, grid.24827.3b, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, 3230 Eden Ave, 45267, Cincinnati, OH, USA;0000 0001 2179 9593, grid.24827.3b, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, 3230 Eden Ave, 45267, Cincinnati, OH, USA;

关键词: Fragile X syndrome;    Eye tracking;    Social anxiety;    Gaze aversion;    Social interest;    Autism;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s11689-019-9262-4

来源: publisher

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundFragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading inherited cause of autism spectrum disorder, but there remains debate regarding the clinical presentation of social deficits in FXS. The aim of this study was to compare individuals with FXS to typically developing controls (TDC) and individuals with idiopathic autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across two social eye tracking paradigms.MethodsIndividuals with FXS and age- and gender-matched TDC and individuals with idiopathic ASD completed emotional face and social preference eye tracking tasks to evaluate gaze aversion and social interest, respectively. Participants completed a battery of cognitive testing and caregiver-reported measures for neurobehavioral characterization.ResultsIndividuals with FXS exhibited reduced eye and increased mouth gaze to emotional faces compared to TDC. Gaze aversive findings were found to correlate with measures of anxiety, social communication deficits, and behavioral problems. In the social interest task, while individuals with idiopathic ASD showed significantly less social preference, individuals with FXS displayed social preference similar to TDC.ConclusionsThese findings suggest fragile X syndrome social deficits center on social anxiety without the prominent reduction in social interest associated with autism spectrum disorder. Specifically designed eye tracking techniques clarify the nature of social deficits in fragile X syndrome and may have applications to improve phenotyping and evaluate interventions targeting social functioning impairments.

【 授权许可】

CC BY