Prosopagnosia
Written by Deyanira Villalta
I came across the film Faces in the Crowd (starring Milla Jovovich, 2011) where she, unfortunately, is inflicted with a brain disorder known as Prosopagnosia (Greek: "prosopon" = "face", "agnosia" = "not knowing") - in which she is no longer able to recognize faces. It's difficult to imagine not identifying or recognizing my sister’s face.
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Reports as far back as the 19th century have been made, but it wasn’t until a German neurologist in 1947 the condition was given its name. It’s fascinating that every time we look at a face - any face, especially a familiar face it is as if we are looking at it for the first time. Our brain begins to review the catalog of stored images in our memory to make a visual connection. This action takes place in like a millisecond!
There are three categories of this disorder:
- Apperceptive prosopagnosia is thought to be a disorder of some of the earliest processes in the face perception system.
- Associative prosopagnosia is believed to be an impairment to the links between early face perception processes and the semantic information we hold about people in our memories.
- Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a face-recognition deficit that is lifelong, manifesting in early childhood, and that cannot be attributed to acquired brain damage.
It’s worth appreciating this can be hereditary! Never-mind experiencing a brain injury but being born with this? The difficulty of having a child with this infliction or be that child suffering from this condition, I find unimaginable. Think for a minute, what growing up unable to recognize your parents, friends, and teachers. With relying only on their gestures, stance, walk, and other characteristics to make the association. What is the experience like to look into a mirror and not recognize your own face?
Dear Reader: Have you heard of Prosopagnosia? Have you encountered a person with this condition? If so, share your experience(s) with us.
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