Visual processing of complex social scenes in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: Relevance for negative symptoms

Abstract

Current explanatory models of negative symptoms in schizophrenia have suggested the role of social cognition in symptom formation and maintenance. This study examined a core aspect of social cognition, namely social perception, and its association with clinical manifestations in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), a genetic model of schizophrenia.We used an eye-tracking device to analyze developmental trajectories of complex and dynamic social scenes exploration in 58 participants with 22q11DS compared to 79 typically developing controls.Participants with 22q11DS showed divergent patterns of social scene exploration compared to healthy individuals from childhood to adulthood. We evidenced a more scattered gaze pattern and a lower number of shared gaze foci compared to healthy controls. Associations with negative symptoms, anxiety level, and face recognition were observed.Findings reveal abnormal visual exploration of complex social information from childhood to adulthood in 22q11DS. Atypical gaze patterns appear related to clinical manifestations in this syndrome.