Prosopagnosia
Prosopagnosia
Prosopagnosia (pronounced pro-so-pag-no-zia), also known as face blindness, is a cognitive disorder of face perception where the ability to recognize faces is impaired, while other aspects of visual processing (e.g., object discrimination) and intellectual functioning (e.g., decision-making) remain intact. The term originates from the Greek words "prosopon" meaning "face" and "agnosia" meaning "non-knowledge".
Etymology
The term Prosopagnosia is derived from the Greek words "prosopon" and "agnosia". "Prosopon" translates to "face" and "agnosia" translates to "non-knowledge", effectively meaning "non-knowledge of faces".
Symptoms
People with prosopagnosia may have difficulty recognizing the faces of family members, friends, or any other persons they should know. They often use alternative strategies to recognize people, such as relying on voice, clothing, or unique physical attributes, but these are not as reliable as facial recognition.
Causes
Prosopagnosia can be caused by lesions in the right hemisphere of the brain, particularly in the fusiform gyrus, which activates specifically in response to faces. The condition is often associated with brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases, or certain developmental disorders.
Treatment
There is currently no specific treatment for prosopagnosia. However, people with this condition can be helped to develop strategies to compensate for their face recognition problems.
Related Terms
- Agnosia
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Brain injury
- Developmental disorders
- Fusiform gyrus
- Right hemisphere
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Prosopagnosia
- Wikipedia's article - Prosopagnosia
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