Developmental prosopagnosia

Disease Overview

Developmental prosopagnosia is a lifelong condition that impairs a person’s ability to recognize faces, in the absence of sensory visual problems and intellectual impairment.[13350] People with this condition have normal intelligence and memory, typical low-level vision, and no history of brain injury. They typically learn to use non-face cues including voice, walking style (gait) and hairstyle to recognize others.[13351][13364] Symptoms that may vary include whether a person can perceive facial expressions normally, or recognize objects normally.[13351] The underlying genetic cause of developmental prosopagnosia is not yet known.[13361][13362] Familial reports of this condition are consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance.[13350][13362]

Developmental prosopagnosia differs from acquired prosopagnosia, in which a person develops face recognition difficulties as a result of brain injury (for example, from a stroke or trauma).[13364]

Synonyms

• Face blindness
• Prosopagnosia, developmental
• Prosopagnosia, congenital
• Hereditary prosopagnosia
• Congenital prosopagnosia
• Prosopagnosia, hereditary