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Prosopagnosia and disorders of face processing
Jason J S Barton1, Jodie Davies-Thompson2, Sherryse L Corrow3
1Departments of Medicine (Neurology), Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Handbook of Clinical Neurology
|April 9, 2021
Summary
Face recognition, an expert visual process, can be impaired by acquired prosopagnosia, a loss of facial familiarity. Research explores its variants, causes, and potential rehabilitation through perceptual training.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuropsychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Face recognition is a specialized visual processing skill.
- Acquired prosopagnosia involves the loss of facial familiarity, presenting in apperceptive, amnestic, and associative forms.
- Lesions in the occipitotemporal or anterior temporal lobes are common causes of acquired prosopagnosia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the functional variants and etiological factors of acquired prosopagnosia.
- To discuss spared aspects of face perception and related disorders.
- To examine potential rehabilitative strategies for prosopagnosia.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on acquired prosopagnosia and related face processing deficits.
- Analysis of functional variants and neuroanatomical correlates.
- Examination of findings from perceptual training studies.
Main Results:
- Acquired prosopagnosia results from specific brain lesions, primarily in the occipitotemporal or anterior temporal regions.
- Despite impaired facial recognition, covert recognition can be present, and other face perception abilities may be spared.
- Perceptual training shows modest efficacy in improving face perception in individuals with prosopagnosia.
Conclusions:
- Prosopagnosia encompasses diverse functional forms linked to distinct neurological underpinnings.
- Understanding spared abilities and covert recognition offers insights into face processing mechanisms.
- Targeted perceptual training presents a viable avenue for therapeutic intervention in prosopagnosia.
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