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Published on: December 7, 2018
Resolution of spatial and temporal visual attention in infants with fragile X syndrome
Faraz Farzin1, Susan M Rivera, David Whitney
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. ffarzin@stanford.edu
Insights
Infants with fragile X syndrome have impaired temporal visual attention, impacting development. Spatial attention remains unaffected, suggesting specific visual processing deficits in this common genetic disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Genetics
Background:
- Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a leading cause of inherited intellectual disability and a common genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder.
- Individuals with FXS exhibit a neurobehavioral phenotype including deficits in spatiotemporal visual perception linked to frontal-parietal brain networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if reduced spatial and/or temporal visual attention resolution underlies perceptual deficits in fragile X syndrome.
- To examine the relationship between visual attention and the neurobehavioral phenotype in FXS.
Main Methods:
- Utilized eye-tracking technology to psychophysically assess spatial and temporal attention limits.
- Compared visual attention capabilities in infants with fragile X syndrome and age-matched neurotypical infants.
Main Results:
- Infants with fragile X syndrome demonstrated significantly reduced temporal attention resolution.
- This reduction in temporal attention was observed to be genetic dose-sensitive.
- Spatial attention resolution was found to be unimpaired in infants with fragile X syndrome.
Conclusions:
- Coarse temporal attention in fragile X syndrome may significantly affect the development of perceptual, cognitive, and motor skills.
- Findings highlight a specific visual processing anomaly in FXS, particularly in temporal attention.
- This research provides insights into the early visual processing challenges associated with fragile X syndrome.
Abstract:
Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited intellectual impairment and the most common single-gene cause of autism. Individuals with fragile X syndrome present with a neurobehavioural phenotype that includes selective deficits in spatiotemporal visual perception associated with neural processing in frontal-parietal networks of the brain. The goal of the current study was to examine whether reduced resolution of spatial and/or temporal visual attention may underlie perceptual deficits related to fragile X syndrome. Eye tracking was used to psychophysically measure the limits of spatial and temporal attention in infants with fragile X syndrome and age-matched neurotypically developing infants. Results from these experiments revealed that infants with fragile X syndrome experience drastically reduced resolution of temporal attention in a genetic dose-sensitive manner, but have a spatial resolution of attention that is not impaired. Coarse temporal attention could have significant knock-on effects for the development of perceptual, cognitive and motor abilities in individuals with the disorder.
