Rett syndrome and eye-tracking technology: A brief review

Introduction: Rett Syndrome is a severe, genetically based neurodevelopment disorder caused mostlyby mutations in the MECP2 gene on the X chromosome. One of the supportive criteria for the diagnosis of this syndrome is intense eye gaze with preferential eye fixation on social stimuli and especially on people’s eyes. This pattern of preferential looking has generally been considered a way to make requests and communicate. Materials and methods: In this review we have collected the studies on the use of eye-tracking technology with subjects with Rett Syndrome. The combination of keywords “Rett Syndrome” and “Eye Tracking” was used in a Medline literature search. In order to be included in this review, studies had to use an eye-tracking instrument and include at least one person with a diagnosis of Rett Syndrome. Results: Among the 16 studies analyzed, 8 studies were performed only on patients with Rett syndrome and 8 studies are case-control studies. 14 studies used a Tobii ® device and 2 an unspecified eye gaze device. The objectives of the researches can be divided into 4 large areas: to study the pattern of ocular fixation, the facial recognition skills and the interest in social stimuli of subjects with Rett syndrome; to investigate the real abilities of this patients about cognitive, language, attention and memory; to correlate neurophysiological records with neuropsychological data; to carry out a rehabilitative intervention and to study the results. Conclusion: The eye-tracking technology represents a sensible method for understanding the interior world of individuals with severe apraxia and a limited repertoire of abilities with which to communicate with other people. Providing to girls with Rett Syndrome the ability to respond by looking can increase their communication abilities and may allow us to gain a more realistic understanding of their minds, revealing perceptual and cognitive abilities.