Williams Syndrome: A Genetic Disorder That Causes People to Be Too Friendly

Williams syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by hypersociability and unique neurocognitive abnormalities. One of the characteristics of Williams syndrome is an inappropriate increase in social behavior. People with the syndrome may be overly friendly, even to strangers. We performed a novel study in our lab that demonstrated that the lack of a gene called Gtf2i may play a role in Williams syndrome. When this gene is absent, there are changes to one of the most important brain components for transferring signals in the brain and are likely to contribute to the over-friendliness observed in Williams syndrome. We expose surprising mechanisms involved in an increased social behavior, which is one of the characteristics of Williams Syndrome. In this article, we demonstrate how drugs can compensate for the damaged part of the brain and can bring the increased friendly behavior down to a normal level.