Defective response to social cues in Möbius' syndrome.

A case of Möbius' syndrome is presented, with the mask-like facies and poor social relationships consistent with this diagnosis. Previous thought has implicated the inability to transmit facial cues as a cause for impoverished social functioning. The authors hypothesize that the inability to transmit is related to an inability to receive cues. They repeated a paradigm used previously to test ability to interpret facial cues. The otherwise intelligent patient could not perform a task previously performed by approximately 300 other subjects. These findings suggest that the rehabilitation of Möbius patients should include education in interpreting social cues.