Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Virtual Reality Tools for Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Novel Opportunity for Data Collection
Published on: March 10, 2021
Neural basis of genetically determined visuospatial construction deficit in Williams syndrome
Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg1, Philip Kohn, Carolyn B Mervis
1Unit on Integrative Neuroimaging, Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 10-4C101, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. andreasml@nih.gov
Abstract:
A unique opportunity to understand genetic determinants of cognition is offered by Williams syndrome (WS), a well-characterized hemideletion on chromosome 7q11.23 that causes extreme, specific weakness in visuospatial construction (the ability to visualize an object as a set of parts or construct a replica). Using multimodal neuroimaging, we identified a neural mechanism underlying the WS visuoconstructive deficit. Hierarchical assessment of visual processing with fMRI showed isolated hypoactivation in WS in the parietal portion of the dorsal stream. In the immediately adjacent parietooccipital/intraparietal sulcus, structural neuroimaging showed a gray matter volume reduction in participants with WS. Path analysis demonstrated that the functional abnormalities could be attributed to impaired input from this structurally altered region. Our observations confirm a longstanding hypothesis about dorsal stream dysfunction in WS, demonstrate effects of a localized abnormality on visual information processing in humans, and define a systems-level phenotype for mapping genetic determinants of visuoconstructive function.
More Related Videos
13:26Measuring Connectivity in the Primary Visual Pathway in Human Albinism Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Tractography
Published on: August 11, 2016
13:12Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
Published on: August 12, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Visual Agnosia
Vision
Language and Cognition
Prosopagnosia
Pleiotropy