AUTHOR=Dubourg Lydia , Maeder Johanna , Pouillard Virginie , Eliez Stephan , Schneider Maude 

TITLE=Goal-Directed-Behavior in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: Implication for Social Dysfunctions and the Emergence of Negative Symptoms

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00230

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00230

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Background: Negative symptoms and social dysfunction are core features of the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Negative symptoms have been conceptualized as pathology of goal-directed-behaviors. Moreover, goal-directed-behaviors also appear to be a crucial step of social interactions. However, in 22q11DS, the extent to which goal-directed-behavior could be linked to social functioning difficulties and negative symptoms has never been examined. 
Method: Verbal and non-verbal initiation was measured using the verbal fluency and figural fluency tasks in 93 individuals with 22q11DS and 57 healthy controls aged between 8 and 30 years in order to assess goal-directed-behavior ability. The associations between initiation scores and social functioning/negative symptoms were investigated.
Results: Results revealed diminished verbal and non-verbal initiation ability in 22q11DS individuals compared to controls. Initiation deficits appear predictive of social functioning level in 22q11DS. Moreover, a significant association between verbal initiation and negative symptoms severity, especially with social anhedonia, has been observed in 22q11DS participants.
Conclusion: Results indicate impaired goal-directed-behavior in the 22q11DS population. These deficits seem to support social functioning impairments frequently observed in the 22q11DS and to a lesser extent the expression of negative symptoms.