Prosopagnosia << pro `soh` pag NOH see uh >> is a condition in which a person is unable to recognize faces . It is also called face blindness. People with prosopagnosia can see the face and all of its parts. However, they have difficulty determining who someone is by looking at the face alone. In extreme cases, the person is unable to identify close family members and friends or even themselves in a mirror. People with prosopagnosia generally have normal memory , intelligence , and vision.
Prosopagnosia occurs in two forms, called acquired and developmental. Both forms are rare. In acquired prosopagnosia, an individual has no difficulty recognizing faces until acquiring a lesion (injury) in the brain . The lesion could result from a brain trauma or from neurological illness such as a stroke . Developmental prosopagnosia, on the other hand, is a lifelong difficulty with face recognition generally not resulting from brain damage. Researchers do not know the cause of developmental prosopagnosia. They believe that variations in brain development, visual experience in infancy, and genetics may all play a role. Developmental prosopagnosia is also referred to as congenital prosopagnosia or hereditary prosopagnosia.
Medical experts view prosopagnosia as a syndrome (collection of signs and symptoms) rather than a single disorder. The severity of prosopagnosia and the aspects of face recognition that are affected can vary widely. For example, some individuals with prosopagnosia experience difficulty in distinguishing between two faces that are side by side. Other individuals may distinguish between two faces but be unable to remember them later.
Prosopagnosia can have a significant effect on social interactions. Adults with prosopagnosia report feelings of anxiety and guilt. Such feelings may come from failing to recognize family members, friends, and co-workers. Among children, prosopagnosia can lead to difficulty in making friends, concerns about not being able to locate a parent or teacher at need, and feelings of embarrassment. There is no known cure for prosopagnosia. People with prosopagnosia often rely on different clues to identify others. These include remembering people’s hairstyles or how they speak. However, these clues are not always reliable and can lead to misidentification. People with prosopagnosia may have some modest improvement in face recognition after using computerized behavioral training programs.
