title: Characterizing associations and dissociations between anxiety, social, and cognitive phenotypes of Williams syndrome.
abstract: Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurogenetic disorder known for its "hypersocial" phenotype and a complex profile of anxieties. The anxieties are poorly understood specifically in relation to the social-emotional and cognitive profiles. To address this gap, we employed a Wechsler intelligence test, the Brief Symptom Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Salk Institute Sociability Questionnaire, to (1) examine how anxiety symptoms distinguish individuals with WS from typically developing (TD) individuals; and (2) assess the associations between three key phenotypic features of WS: intellectual impairment, social-emotional functioning, and anxiety. The results highlighted intensified neurophysiological symptoms and subjective experiences of anxiety in WS. Moreover, whereas higher cognitive ability was positively associated with anxiety in WS, the opposite pattern characterized the TD individuals. This study provides novel insight into how the three core phenotypic features associate/dissociate in WS, specifically in terms of the contribution of cognitive and emotional functioning to anxiety symptoms.
authors: Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, USA; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Institute of Child Development, USA.
authors: Rowena
authors: R
authors: Ng
authors: Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, USA. Electronic address: pasley@salk.edu.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Järvinen
authors: Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, USA.
authors: Ursula
authors: U
authors: Bellugi
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D012919:Social Behavior; D018980:Williams Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety; Intellectual impairment; Maladaptive behaviors; Neurodevelopmental disorder; Social behavior; Williams syndrome