Have You Ever Heard Of Prosopagnosia?

If you're like me, you probably hadn't heard of prosopagnosia, or face blindness, until 60 Minutes aired a segment on the little known disorder in March. It's a condition that affects 2% of the world population, so although it is not considered a rare disease, it only affects a small group of people. Little is known about it, but those with the condition have huge challenges to overcome. It can be socially crippling.

Lesley Stahl interviewed two prominent men who have face blindness. Oliver Sacks, the British neurologist and author who has written on many neurological and psycholical conditions, has face blindness. Chuck Close, a renowned artist, who ironically paints mostly faces, also has face blindess. How do they deal with trying to identify people that they see everyday? Chuck Close gave an example of how he tries to deduce who a person is from various clues. Lesley Stahl showed him a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. He deduced that because of the mustache he was probably someone who wasn't living. (I'm not sure how that makes sense). The shape and size of his face also led him to the conclusion that it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Everytime they see someone, even their own children, they have to figure out who they are from clues other than facial. It's hard for us to imagine this. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for these people to go to a cocktail party, meet a lot of new people, and not have a clue who they are.

What causes prosopagnosia? Doctors are just starting to study the condition, but they feel it is an abnormal function of the right fusiform gyrus, a part of the brain. This can be a congenitive condition, or the result of a stroke or brain injury. It was amazing to watch on 60 Minutes the people with this condition struggle to identify even their own children. (from a picture). Of course in real life they would have other clues, like voice and mannerisms to help them out. There is no cure for the condition. It's just something face blindness sufferers have to live with.

Science is always discovering new abnormalities in the human body. I find it all so interesting. Another condition on the other end of the spectrum is those individuals that never forget a face. I will write about them another time. For now, the next time someone can't remember meeting you or doesn't seem to recognize you, think about the fact that it may be because of a medical reason.