History, causes and diagnosis
- Avraham El Gadeh
- 8 de mar. de 2016
- 2 min de leitura
History
The first recorded case of prosopagnosia was in 1947, when Dr. Bodamer diagnosed two patients with a condition that he described to be different than agnosia. Then, he invented the name ‘prosopagnosia’, being prosopon (face in Greek), and agnosia (medical term for facial recognition problems).¹
Causes
The condition of prosopagnosia previously had only been studied in cases of people who contracted this disorder as a result of neurological damage (head injury, etc.). That is why, until recent decades, it was thought that only a limited amount of people had prosopagnosia.
Lately, more researches have proved that people are born and also can develop prosopagnosia, without being in an accident.
This kind of prosopagnosia is distinguished as “congenital” or “developmental”, which is when individuals simply fail to recognize faces, even though they possess normal perceptual and intellectual functions.
People with congenital prosopagnosia face difficulties the majority of their lives. Deeper studies suggest that there may be a genetic contribution to it, which is when a first-degree relative also carries the condition in their DNA.²
Diagnosis (Do I have it?)
It is common for normal people to not recognize a familiar face or call someone he/she thinks it knows by mistake sometimes. Nevertheless, people with prosopagnosia have a more serious case, not being able to recognize family members or even themselves.
In order to diagnose a person with prosopagnosia, researches use self-report as basic measure. For instance, a person who have had difficulties in recognizing faces and distinguishing between people through his whole life, most likely has the condition.
Researches from Bournemouth University offer a formal test and a opportunity to be part in their researches.³
Text sources:
¹ Prosopagnosia Research Centers: https://www.faceblind.org/research/
² ³ Centre for Face Processing Disorders: http://prosopagnosiaresearch.org/index/information
Image source:
The New Yorker - Face-Blind: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/08/30/face-blind
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