The FMR1 gene provides instructions for making a protein called FMRP. Mutations in the FMR1 gene cause fragile X syndrome.

These features include a long and narrow face, large ears, a prominent jaw and forehead, unusually flexible fingers, flat feet, and in males, enlarged testicles (macroorchidism) after puberty. Most males and about half of females with fragile X syndrome have characteristic physical features that become more apparent with age. Seizures occur in about 15 percent of males and about 5 percent of females with fragile X syndrome. About one-third of individuals with fragile X syndrome have features of autism spectrum disorder that affect communication and social interaction. They may have attention deficit disorder (ADD), which includes an impaired ability to maintain attention and difficulty focusing on specific tasks. Children with fragile X syndrome may also have anxiety and hyperactive behavior such as fidgeting or impulsive actions. Most males with fragile X syndrome have mild to moderate intellectual disability, while about one-third of affected females are intellectually disabled. Usually, males are more severely affected by this disorder than females.Īffected individuals usually have delayed development of speech and language by age 2. Other than the constricted and blunted affect, there are other forms of affect that can be observed as well.Fragile X syndrome is a genetic condition that causes a range of developmental problems including learning disabilities and cognitive impairment. The difference is in the degree of the emotions (rather, the lack of emotions), in which constricted affect brings about a mild restriction, whereas blunted affect brings about a severe restriction. Thus, one can be caused because of the other. The Differencesīlunted affect vs constricted affect can be observed in the way that when a person displays a constricted affect, it can have certain consequences on his behavior, which in turn could lead to the development of blunted affect.

Many soldiers have been observed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which is often brought on by the trauma of war and an attempt to disassociate from the same―the condition being a classic example of blunted affect. This wide-eyed, unfocused gaze has been described as being brought on by blunted affect. One of the most common blunted affect examples is that of the ‘thousand-yard-stare’ that has been exhibited by some soldiers who have witnessed the horrors of war.

Flat affect children