Aberrant face and gaze habituation in fragile x syndrome.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The authors sought to investigate neural system habituation to face and eye gaze in fragile X syndrome, a disorder characterized by eye-gaze aversion, among other social and cognitive deficits.

Method

Participants (ages 15-25 years) were 30 individuals with fragile X syndrome (females, N=14) and a comparison group of 25 individuals without fragile X syndrome (females, N=12) matched for general cognitive ability and autism symptoms. Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to assess brain activation during a gaze habituation task. Participants viewed repeated presentations of four unique faces with either direct or averted eye gaze and judged the direction of eye gaze.

Results

Four participants (males, N=4/4; fragile X syndrome, N=3) were excluded because of excessive

SUBMITTER: Bruno JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4182125 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature