Social-emotional processing in nonverbal individuals with Angelman syndrome: evidence from brain responses to known and novel names.
A P Key, D Jones
PMID 30468263WHAT IT FOUND
Brain responses did not show clear recognition of known names in 11 nonverbal people with Angelman syndrome.
Better brain differentiation of repeated stranger names from unknown names was linked to caregiver-reported communication and socialization, but this was secondary.
Key findings
01The main brain-response comparison did not show significant name recognition in the 450 to 750 millisecond window.
02Better parietal brain differentiation of repeated stranger names from unknown names was associated with higher caregiver-reported communication and socialization.
03Eleven of 13 participants provided usable brain-response data for the 12-minute task.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 11 participants were analysed, and all had the deletion subtype of Angelman syndrome, so results may not apply to other genetic subtypes or larger groups. The main brain-response test did not show clear name recognition, so the communication and socialization links were secondary and need replication. Two participants did not return caregiver questionnaires, so adaptive scores were available for 9 participants. Motor movement was a frequent concern, and adolescents and young adults found sitting still hard. The sample spanned ages 4 to 45 years, and age effects were not clear. The data-inclusion criterion may have been too lenient, though excluding four subjects with fewer than 10 artifact-free trials per condition did not create evidence of name recognition.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared. The article is tagged with NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that people with Angelman syndrome do not recognise familiar names, or that familiar-name brain responses can guide therapy. The main brain-response test did not show clear name recognition, and the positive communication links were secondary findings in 11 participants.