Abnormalities in neural processing of emotional stimuli in Williams syndrome vary according to social vs. non-social content.
Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by the deletion of approximately 25 genes on chromosome 7q11.23 and is characterized by both hypersociability and increases in specific phobia and anticipatory anxiety regarding non-social entities or circumstances. Alterations in amygdala reactivity and prefrontal regulation consistent with the observed behavioral pattern of social versus non-social abnormalities have been previously demonstrated in individuals with WS (Meyer-Lindenberg et al., 2005). However, in that study, the social stimulus (faces) matching task was more difficult than the non-social scene (IAPS stimuli) matching task, making it impossible to disambiguate the relative contributions of task difficulty and stimulus type (social versus non-social). In the present study, we examined the performance of the same group of participants with WS and normal IQs during a more cognitively demanding task using the same scene stimuli as in the prior study. Confirming previous findings, the results indicated (a) a differential response of prefrontal regions as a function of task difficulty and (b) a persistently increased activation of the amygdala to non-social scenes by individuals with WS regardless of cognitive load. These data provide further evidence of disruption in amygdala-prefrontal circuitry in individuals with WS.
Muñoz
Karen E
KE
Section on Integrative Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Meyer-Lindenberg
Andreas
A
Hariri
Ahmad R
AR
Mervis
Carolyn B
CB
Mattay
Venkata S
VS
Morris
Colleen A
CA
Berman
Karen Faith
KF
D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D012919:Social Behavior; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology; D018980:Williams Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*
D010100:Oxygen