Clinical Trial

Research on the Molecular Mechanism of Cognitive Differences Between Williams Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study acronym: WS and ASD
Not Yet Recruiting
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Summary
Williams Syndrome (WS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder, usually caused by microdeletions of approximately 26 genes in the long arm (7q11.23) region of chromosome 7. Children with this syndrome often exhibit distinctive facial features, mild to moderate intellectual disability, impaired spatial cognition, pronounced social extraversion, and relatively reserved language-expression characteristics. Although individuals with WS often demonstrate strong social interest and prosocial behaviors, significant deficiencies in abstract thinking, executive function, and visuospatial ability are frequently observed. At present, treatment for WS mainly focuses on behavioral intervention and educational rehabilitation, and clear molecular or pharmacological treatment methods remain limited. Due to the "opposite but related" social-cognitive profile observed in comparison with autism spectrum disorder, in-depth exploration of neural and molecular mechanisms underlying these differences has substantial scientific significance for understanding the biological basis of social-cognitive impairment.
Trial Details
NCT Number NCT07509879
Lead Sponsor Qilu Hospital of Shandong University
Conditions Williams Syndrome, Autism Disorder
Enrollment 75 participants
Start Date 2026-04-01
Primary Completion 2026-12-01 (estimated)
Study Completion 2026-12-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov 2026-04-03