General Information About Prosopagnosia
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is the condition where an individual cannot recognize or distinguish people's faces (sometimes even those of family members or themselves), even though their eyes see perfectly well and there are no general memory issues.
Absolutely not. The person clearly sees the details of a face, such as the nose, eyes, and lips, but the brain cannot integrate these parts and match the information (identity) to say 'This is Ayşe' or 'This is Ali'.
It is caused by damage to an area in the lower part of the brain responsible for facial recognition called the 'Fusiform Gyrus'. It can be congenital (developmental) or acquired later in adulthood following a stroke, tumor, or head trauma.
People with face blindness develop unique strategies to recognize others using cues other than their faces, such as their tone of voice, haircut, walking style, perfume scent, or prominent accessories like glasses.
Diagnosis is made through specific facial recognition tests administered by neurology or neuropsychology specialists. If the disease is acquired later in life, an MRI is taken to view the damaged area of the brain.
There is no medication or surgery to repair this specific damage in the brain. Treatment relies on compensatory training. Accompanied by specialists, the patient is taught perceptual adaptation techniques to recognize people through non-facial clues.
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
