Mandolesi L, Addona F, Foti F, Menghini D, Petrosini L, Vicari S
IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
Int J Dev Neurosci. 2009 May;27(3):205-13. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2009.01.004. Epub 2009 Jan 24.
This study was aimed at evaluating spatial function in subjects with Williams syndrome by using the radial arm maze task and comparing their spatial abilities with those of mental age-matched control subjects. Two different paradigms were administered: the free-choice version for analyzing the aspects linked mainly to procedural and mnesic components, the forced-choice version for disentangling components linked to spatial working memory from the procedural ones. The findings evidenced a deficit in the acquisition of procedural competences as well as in the spatial memory processes in Williams subjects. In the free-choice paradigm, they performed worse than control subjects on all parameters analyzed. Namely, they needed more time to complete the task, did not collect all rewards, exhibited low values of the spatial span as well as low percentages of correct visits, and displayed a reduced use of the most efficient exploration strategies. Even in the forced-choice paradigm, Williams subjects made a number of errors significantly higher than control subjects. The marked impairment in spatial information processing is discussed on the light of neuro-anatomical alterations reported in Williams subjects.
本研究旨在通过使用放射状臂迷宫任务评估威廉姆斯综合征患者的空间功能，并将他们的空间能力与心理年龄匹配的对照受试者进行比较。采用了两种不同的范式：自由选择版本用于分析主要与程序和记忆成分相关的方面，强制选择版本用于从程序成分中分离出与空间工作记忆相关的成分。研究结果表明，威廉姆斯综合征患者在程序能力的获得以及空间记忆过程方面存在缺陷。在自由选择范式中，他们在所有分析参数上的表现都比对照受试者差。具体而言，他们完成任务需要更多时间，没有收集到所有奖励，空间跨度值较低，正确访问的百分比也较低，并且最有效探索策略的使用减少。即使在强制选择范式中，威廉姆斯综合征患者犯的错误数量也明显高于对照受试者。根据威廉姆斯综合征患者报告的神经解剖学改变，对空间信息处理中的明显损伤进行了讨论。
