A peek into the mind of the people hypersocial with Williams syndrome have revealed how a genetic disorder affecting the brain.
People with Williams syndrome are known for their hospitality, even though it tends to be coupled with high anxiety.
Mbemba Jabbi at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues studied MRI scans of 14 people with the syndrome. They found that the insula - a brain region involved in emotion - less than 23 people without the syndrome.
When Jabbi team used PET scans to examine the insula in more detail, though, they found that one area of the right insula was greater in people with Williams syndrome. Those with more extreme differences in personality there is a problem that is more gray here.
The findings could help predict how the social symptoms of the syndrome may develop, said Debbie Riby at Newcastle University, UK. However, the people who participated in the study had normal IQ, which is typical of only a fraction of those with Williams syndrome, she said.
People with Williams syndrome are known for their hospitality, even though it tends to be coupled with high anxiety.
Mbemba Jabbi at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues studied MRI scans of 14 people with the syndrome. They found that the insula - a brain region involved in emotion - less than 23 people without the syndrome.
When Jabbi team used PET scans to examine the insula in more detail, though, they found that one area of the right insula was greater in people with Williams syndrome. Those with more extreme differences in personality there is a problem that is more gray here.
The findings could help predict how the social symptoms of the syndrome may develop, said Debbie Riby at Newcastle University, UK. However, the people who participated in the study had normal IQ, which is typical of only a fraction of those with Williams syndrome, she said.
