Prosopagnosia: current perspectives

Abstract

Sherryse L Corrow,1,2 Kirsten A Dalrymple,3 Jason JS Barton,1,2 1Human Vision and Eye Movement Laboratory, Neurology Division, Department of Medicine, 2Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; 3Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA Abstract: Prosopagnosia is a selective visual agnosia characterized by the inability to recognize the identity of faces. There are both acquired forms secondary to brain damage and developmental forms without obvious structural lesions. In this review, we first discuss the diagnosis of acquired and developmental prosopagnosia, and the challenges present in the latter case. Second, we discuss the evidence regarding the selectivity of the prosopagnosic defect, particularly in relation to the recognition of other objects, written words (another visual object category requiring high expertise), and voices. Third, we summarize recent findings about the structural and functional basis of prosopagnosia from studies using magnetic resonance imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and event-related potentials. Finally, we discuss recent attempts at rehabilitation of face recognition in prosopagnosia. Keywords: face recognition, perception, fusiform gyrus, anterior temporal, review

Keywords

• face recognition
• perception
• fusiform gyrus
• anterior temporal
• review