Prosopamnesia: a case report of amnesia for faces
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Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm
Published on: December 24, 2015
Stefano Merolla1, Monica Borella1, Ignazio Michele Santilli1
1Department of Neurology, Desio Hospital, ASST Brianza, Desio, Italy.
Abstract:
Prosopamnesia is a face-selective memory disorder in which face learning is impaired, while face-perception disorder (prosopagnosia) and memory disorders for stimuli other than faces are not present. To date, only two cases of prosopamnesia have been reported in adults - one congenital and one secondary to brain damage. This article reports a case of a 68-year-old woman complaining difficulties recognizing persons she had got to know recently. Neuropsychological examination revealed face-specific anterograde amnesia in the absence of prosopagnosia and other memory impairments. Brain MRI did not present any focal abnormality; PET-scan revealed hypoactivation mostly in the frontotemporal area bilaterally. This patient represents the first case of late-onset primary prosopamnesia.
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