Development of cerebral specialization is defined by
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genetics
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maturation
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experience
WMS : genetically based developmental disorder (typical facial features,
mental retardation, heart disease)
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language and face perception seem to be spared
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hyperacusis, and hypersociability
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deficits in spatial orientation
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posterio-parietal and occipital structural brain abnormalities
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relatively larger loss in cerebral white than gray matter
Two questions with respect to specialization:
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what functional losses are there that might be due to structural abnormalities?
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how are the spared functions organized?
Visual abilities in WMS:
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good performance on:
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Benton Facial Recognition
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Mooney Closure Test
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Warrington Recognition Memory
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impaired performance on:
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Benton line orientation
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Test of Visual-Motor Integration (copying)
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block construction in Wechsler
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copying a drawing of a house
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copying a large Y comprised of small Hs (they copy the H)
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puzzle: although they seem to be locally oriented, face processing (assumed
to be global) is still good
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face processing is a slowly developing function
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upright/inverted and right/left asymmetries come about late (teens)
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WMS adults show uprigt/inverted asymmetry behaviorally
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ERP patterns are different in WMS
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preserved function might be mediated by abnormal cerebral specialization
issue
on brain volume and body height
Elastin helps blood vessels retain their shape. If elastin has
deteriorated, the vessel wall may be susceptible to expanding or ballooning
at sites where blood flow is especially turbulent, such as the middle cerebral
artery.