It is the inability to recognize people’s faces and, in severe cases, to distinguish their own image in photography or in the mirror
The announcement from presenter Enrica Bonaccorti is recent news, who revealed that she suffers from prosopagnosia, the same problem that actor Brad Pitt also suffers from. But what is prosopagnosia? It is the inability to recognize people’s faces and, in severe cases, to distinguish their own image in a photo or in the mirror.
Two forms of prosopagnosia
There are two forms, one congenital and one acquired. In the latter case, the person is born with the normal ability to recognize faces, but loses it over time, usually after a traumatic event, such as a stroke or brain injury. As reported in an article in the Corriere della Sera, congenital prosopagnosia affects approximately 2-3% of the population. Those who suffer from it, who cannot perceive faces as a whole, learn to recognize people by details or individual details, such as the cut of the hair, the way they walk, the gestures, or the shape of the mouth or eyebrows . As for the possible causes of the condition, a Focus article clarifies that at the root of prosopagnosia there appears to be an anomaly in the analysis of faces that occurs in the spindle-shaped gyrus, the region of the brain that stores the Standard Model of faces we compare to. .every new face.
It affects the social life of those who suffer from it
In both forms, it is a condition that can affect the social lives of those who suffer from it.
“People with prosopagnosia have major problems in everyday life,” explains Professor Davide Rivolta, an associate at the School of Psychology at the University of East London. For example: “They don’t recognize the protagonists of the films, but they also don’t meet relatives, such as neighbors, outside the usual context. In severe cases, prosopagnos can not even recognize their own faces. In Italy there are an estimated one and a half million people with congenital prosopagnosia, although they are often poorly known and detected,” he added.
Difficulties in diagnosis
In the recognition of the pathology, as the professor explained, “there is no universal diagnosis of prosopagnosia”. He added that reliable tools exist today: “One of the most important is a memory test, the Cambridge Face Memory Test, which requires subjects to learn unfamiliar faces and then recognize them in the midst of many distractors. A further test we have developed exists. from distinguishing famous people from non-famous people. Those who suffer from prosopagnosia generally have difficulty performing these tests correctly. The neuropsychologist is the professional reference person who is able to diagnose and intervene in prosopagnosia”. In the case of the congenital form, the difficulty in diagnosing is also related to the fact that people who suffer from it, born without the ability to recognize faces, are led to think that their problems are the norm. In addition, not only are children a little-known condition, but they are not tested for the ability to recognize faces.
Source: TG 24 Sky
I am James Novak, a passionate and experienced news writer with the ultimate goal of delivering the most accurate and timely information to my readers. I work in the news department at a website dedicated to providing reliable and up-to-date information about technology. My articles are widely circulated, often featured on major publications, and have been read by millions of people around the world. With over four years of writing experience in various fields such as tech startups, industry trends, cybersecurity, AI/ML advances, and more, I bring an informed perspective to all topics I write on. Beyond my published work online and in print media outlets, I’m also an avid speaker at local events where I share my insights on current issues related to technology.
