Actor Brad Pitt told Esquire he thinks he might suffer from prosopagnosia, a disorder which prevents the individual from recognizing faces, and says he plans on getting himself checked out. The condition is known as a socially isolating one, as the sufferer has trouble identifying even people who are quite familiar. Dr. Oliver Sacks, a physician and NYU neurology professor who is famously afflicted by the disease, says there are times when he doesn't recognize his own face in the mirror. Here are five things to know about the disorder.
1. It's surprisingly common.
Until as recently as a decade or so ago, there were about 100 documented cases, according to a 2006 article in Time magazine. But studies in recent years have shown that the condition might affect as many as 1 in 50 people - more than 5 million individuals in the United States alone - to varying degrees. The condition is highly inheritable, as it's said to result from a defect in a single, dominant gene. If one parent has it, a child has a 50 percent chance of having it, too.
2. What the condition impairs, exactly, can vary.
Some people only have trouble recognizing faces. Others suffer from a deficit which extends to other stimuli like objects, cars or animals. Some find it difficult to distinguish certain key characteristics in faces such as those indicating age or gender, or in picking up the emotional significance of facial expressions, or in following the direction of a person's gaze. And a significant number of individuals who suffer from prosopagnosia report difficulties with navigation.
3. It isn't related to problems with memory or learning disabilities.
But there is evidence linking it to abnormalities, damage or impairment in the right fusiform gyrus, a part of the brain which scientists think coordinates the neural systems controlling facial perception and memory. That sort of damage can result from strokes, brain injuries or some neurodegenerative diseases, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Some degree of prosopagnosia is often seen in children with autism and Asperger's syndrome and may be a cause of their impaired social abilities.
4. It can be very socially crippling.
The problem that Brad Pitt describes - people believing he is disrespecting them because he doesn't recognize them even after they've had a "real conversation" - is quite common. Many individuals with the condition report trouble establishing and maintaining personal and professional relationships, and some even have difficulty following the plots of TV shows and movies, which if true in Pitt's case would turn out to be a rather striking bit of irony.
5. Treatment consists of mnemonic strategies.
Prosopagnosia sufferers have to learn to look for certain identifiers like hair, voice and clothes. Dr. Oliver Sacks, for instance, says he distinguishes himself from other similarly featured men by his large ears.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.