Think of the faces of those that mean the most to you—your parents, siblings, friends, a significant other, your children. Now imagine waking up one day and not being able to recognize any of them. What sounds like the plot of a science fiction novel is an actual medical condition known as prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize or distinguish faces.
FangXiaNuo / Getty Images
Why Prosopagnosia Is Known as Face Blindness
Although previously thought to be relatively rare, recent research suggests that around 2% percent of the general public may have some level of prosopagnosia.
There are two types of prosopagnosia:congenitalprosopagnosia and acquired prosopagnosia.
Congenital Prosopagnosia
Some people are born without the ability to recognize faces, known as congenital or developmental prosopagnosia. Children with this type of face blindness may not realize their inability to recognize faces until they are much older.
Congenital prosopagnosia may also be present inchildren with autism.An inability to recognize faces may cause or contribute to their impaired social skills.
Acquired Prosopagnosia
Acquired prosopagnosia may occur after brain damage from a head injury,stroke, or neurodegenerative diseases.
Individuals with this type of prosopagnosia were previously able to recognize faces. Research suggests they are unlikely to gain back this ability, though they may learn to compensate.
Causes
The neurological basis for prosopagnosia is not well understood.
One theory is that the condition is the result of abnormalities, damage, or impairment in the right fusiform gyrus—the part of the brain that coordinates neural systems controlling facial perception and memory.
For congenital cases, the cause might be related to genetics.
In 2012, doctors at Stanford temporarily implanted electrodes in the brain of a patient with prosopagnosia and discovered two nerve clusters integral in perceiving faces.
There is some disagreement in the scientific literature about whether prosopagnosia is a general disorder of recognition or a face-specific problem. It may be that there are different types of prosopagnosia, each with their own set of symptoms.
Treatment
There are no cures for prosopagnosia. Those with prosopagnosia must learn other ways of remembering faces. Clues such as hair, voice, and clothes may help identify people. Rehabilitation therapies may help with coping and working around the deficits.
Social situations may be awkward for people with prosopagnosia, causing them to become shy and withdrawn. Therapy or medications may be able to treat anxiety or depression related to the condition.
Researchers are currently working on ways to help individuals with prosopagnosia improve their face recognition.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arizpe JM, Saad E, Douglas AO, Germine L, Wilmer JB, DeGutis JM.Self-reported face recognition is highly valid, but alone is not highly discriminative of prosopagnosia-level performance on objective assessments.Behav Res Methods. 2019;51(3):1102-1116. doi:10.3758/s13428-018-01195-wWegrzyn M, Garlichs A, Heß RWK, Woermann FG, Labudda K.The hidden identity of faces: a case of lifelong prosopagnosia.BMC Psychol. 2019 Jan 22;7(1):4. doi:10.1186/s40359-019-0278-zCorrow SL, Dalrymple KA, Barton JJ.Prosopagnosia: current perspectives.Eye Brain. 2016;8:165-175. doi:10.2147/EB.S92838Ma W, Xiao Z, Wu Y, Zhang X, Zheng D, Lei X, Han C.Face blindness in children and current interventions.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(8):676. doi:10.3390/bs13080676Bate S, Bennetts RJ.The rehabilitation of face recognition impairments: a critical review and future directions.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8:491. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00491National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Prosopagnosia information page.Dalrymple KA, Corrow S, Yonas A, Duchaine B.Developmental prosopagnosia in childhood.Cogn Neuropsychol. 2012;29(5-6):393-418. doi:10.1080/02643294.2012.722547Parvizi J, Jacques C, Foster BL, et al.Electrical stimulation of human fusiform face-selective regions distorts face perception.J Neurosci. 2012;32(43):14915-20. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2609-12.2012
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arizpe JM, Saad E, Douglas AO, Germine L, Wilmer JB, DeGutis JM.Self-reported face recognition is highly valid, but alone is not highly discriminative of prosopagnosia-level performance on objective assessments.Behav Res Methods. 2019;51(3):1102-1116. doi:10.3758/s13428-018-01195-wWegrzyn M, Garlichs A, Heß RWK, Woermann FG, Labudda K.The hidden identity of faces: a case of lifelong prosopagnosia.BMC Psychol. 2019 Jan 22;7(1):4. doi:10.1186/s40359-019-0278-zCorrow SL, Dalrymple KA, Barton JJ.Prosopagnosia: current perspectives.Eye Brain. 2016;8:165-175. doi:10.2147/EB.S92838Ma W, Xiao Z, Wu Y, Zhang X, Zheng D, Lei X, Han C.Face blindness in children and current interventions.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(8):676. doi:10.3390/bs13080676Bate S, Bennetts RJ.The rehabilitation of face recognition impairments: a critical review and future directions.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8:491. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00491National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Prosopagnosia information page.Dalrymple KA, Corrow S, Yonas A, Duchaine B.Developmental prosopagnosia in childhood.Cogn Neuropsychol. 2012;29(5-6):393-418. doi:10.1080/02643294.2012.722547Parvizi J, Jacques C, Foster BL, et al.Electrical stimulation of human fusiform face-selective regions distorts face perception.J Neurosci. 2012;32(43):14915-20. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2609-12.2012
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Arizpe JM, Saad E, Douglas AO, Germine L, Wilmer JB, DeGutis JM.Self-reported face recognition is highly valid, but alone is not highly discriminative of prosopagnosia-level performance on objective assessments.Behav Res Methods. 2019;51(3):1102-1116. doi:10.3758/s13428-018-01195-wWegrzyn M, Garlichs A, Heß RWK, Woermann FG, Labudda K.The hidden identity of faces: a case of lifelong prosopagnosia.BMC Psychol. 2019 Jan 22;7(1):4. doi:10.1186/s40359-019-0278-zCorrow SL, Dalrymple KA, Barton JJ.Prosopagnosia: current perspectives.Eye Brain. 2016;8:165-175. doi:10.2147/EB.S92838Ma W, Xiao Z, Wu Y, Zhang X, Zheng D, Lei X, Han C.Face blindness in children and current interventions.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(8):676. doi:10.3390/bs13080676Bate S, Bennetts RJ.The rehabilitation of face recognition impairments: a critical review and future directions.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8:491. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00491National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Prosopagnosia information page.Dalrymple KA, Corrow S, Yonas A, Duchaine B.Developmental prosopagnosia in childhood.Cogn Neuropsychol. 2012;29(5-6):393-418. doi:10.1080/02643294.2012.722547Parvizi J, Jacques C, Foster BL, et al.Electrical stimulation of human fusiform face-selective regions distorts face perception.J Neurosci. 2012;32(43):14915-20. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2609-12.2012
Arizpe JM, Saad E, Douglas AO, Germine L, Wilmer JB, DeGutis JM.Self-reported face recognition is highly valid, but alone is not highly discriminative of prosopagnosia-level performance on objective assessments.Behav Res Methods. 2019;51(3):1102-1116. doi:10.3758/s13428-018-01195-w
Wegrzyn M, Garlichs A, Heß RWK, Woermann FG, Labudda K.The hidden identity of faces: a case of lifelong prosopagnosia.BMC Psychol. 2019 Jan 22;7(1):4. doi:10.1186/s40359-019-0278-z
Corrow SL, Dalrymple KA, Barton JJ.Prosopagnosia: current perspectives.Eye Brain. 2016;8:165-175. doi:10.2147/EB.S92838
Ma W, Xiao Z, Wu Y, Zhang X, Zheng D, Lei X, Han C.Face blindness in children and current interventions.Behav Sci (Basel). 2023;13(8):676. doi:10.3390/bs13080676
Bate S, Bennetts RJ.The rehabilitation of face recognition impairments: a critical review and future directions.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8:491. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00491
National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Prosopagnosia information page.
Dalrymple KA, Corrow S, Yonas A, Duchaine B.Developmental prosopagnosia in childhood.Cogn Neuropsychol. 2012;29(5-6):393-418. doi:10.1080/02643294.2012.722547
Parvizi J, Jacques C, Foster BL, et al.Electrical stimulation of human fusiform face-selective regions distorts face perception.J Neurosci. 2012;32(43):14915-20. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2609-12.2012
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
