Prosopagnosia: Face Blindness

Prosopagnosia or Face Blindness: I have it.  I took the test-- a series of on-line tests via faceblind.org / Harvard University.  I did not do well.  I did not even recognize Steven Colbert's face and I watch his show several nights a week.  And have been for several years.

I recognize my own face.  [Some folks have difficulty with their own faces].  And that of my housemate, folks I see regularly if they are standing right in front of me, pictures of people I know.  [Again, some folks have difficulty with all of the above].  If someone tries describing a person to me that they claim that I know-- well, that doesn't work too well at all-- I usually tell them to just assume that I know who they are talking about and carry on with their story.  I cannot pair up some faces with names.  The tests: I did really badly on the tests.  I signed up to be contacted about the research study being done over at Harvard.  

Some faceblindness is the kind that someone might always have had.  Some can be the result of trauma.  I believe mine is a result of my t.b.i.  Some can be the result of strokes or other neuro-events.

I recognize faces by social settings-- doctors in offices for example, by hair styles, by clothing, by skin tone.  Change your hair or your clothes or appear somewhere that I don't normally see you becomes anyone's guess as to whether I will recognize you or not.

I am still processing this latest bit of information.  Perhaps I will have more to say later.

Below are some links, including the links to the tests if anyone is interested.

sapphoq healing t.b.i.


http://www.testmybrain.org/

http://www.faceblind.org/

http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/03/the-traumatized-brain

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/06/the-harvard-test-my-brain-quiz.html

http://drdianehamilton.wordpress.com/2010/09/11/test-your-brain-and-facial-recognition-interesting-and-fun/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57399118/face-blindness-when-everyone-is-a-stranger/

http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2010/jun/15/strangers-in-the-mirror/

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/face-blind.htm

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/13/131267727/living-with-face-blindness-who-are-you-again

A QUESTIONNAIRE

The wonderful folks at Medscape bring an article detailing a questionnaire which NCNeuropsychiatry P.A. has made available on-line to medical personnel which their patients and/or family members can take. It has 207 questions which are correlated to groups of symptoms and specific conditions indicated by them.

The questionnaire is notable for traumatic brain injury patients because it includes a short test for problems related to concussion. Results below for a fictitious patient who presents with moderate disability from a traumatic brain injury have been directed pasted from the test site:

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SYMPTOM SCALE

CONDITIONAL SCALE

[end of cut and paste from site]

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It is noted that report of symptoms does not indicate that the patient has or doesn't have any of the conditions associated with them. Some patients may over-report symptoms and some others may under-report. The test results of the fictitious patient above may indicate perception of mild problems with attention, mood stability, fatigue, and sleep. The symptom clusters aggregate into a possible clinical picture of the presence of post-concussion difficulties as well as mild autism and Asperger's. An experienced qualified clinician can utilize the testing results in fact gathering and diagnostic interviewing. Because the patient can re-take the test throughout treatment as well as at termination, there is a direct way to measure any progress in reduction of symptomology.

NC Neuropsychiatry P.A. offers evaluation, treatment, and medication management for those people who have symptoms of a variety of disorders including but not limited to serious psychiatric conditions, learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, A.D.D. ad A.D.H.D., and broad autism spectrum disorders as well as traumatic brain injuries. Clinicians are researchers as well as qualified specialists and the practice also offers clinical trials.

The website itself is easy to read and easy to navigate. From the well-written section on traumatic brain injury, I found that traumatic brain injury is one subset of acquired brain injuries. The practice also offers for purchase a series of tests which measure things like working memory, ability to shift tasks, and flexibility in cognitive tasks. The tests may also be accessed from a computer [the clinician can download a complete battery] and norms are included. The series of tests together is referred to as the CNS Vital Signs Assessment Battery. The things that the tests propose to measure have implications for traumatic brain injury patients and for those with mild cognitive impairments, A.D.H.D., and stroke.

The subject of words, definitions, and labels has recently come up in two e-lists I belong to which deal with brain injuries. One of the ideas that was expressed was that researchers are only in it to "make a name" for themselves thus they have a vested interest in the nomenclature associated with brain injury.

From my own perspective, it is vitally important to recognize the medical terminology associated with brain injuries. Common civilian words that are used to describe brain injuries and the effects of are not adequate when reading peer-review research studies. The N.C. Neuropsychiatry P.A. website illustrates the commitment of the researchers associated with that practice. Doctor Johnson has a long list of publication credits and Doctor Gaultieri's is even longer.

Researchers do not work in ivory towers. With the increasing religiosity inherent in the U.S.A. government decisions of who gets what funding as well as competition for research dollars, researchers by and large do have to possess a commitment to the subject of their research as well as to displaying verifiable results.

I encourage anyone reading this who is a medical consumer with a specific chronic condition or disorder to familiarize yourselve with medical terms and research protocols. Medicine continues to advance at a rapid pace. We can become our own best advocates if we are willing and able to gather information in order to communicate intelligently with the professional helpers on our medical teams.

Financial Disclosure: sapphoq has never been a patient at N.C. Neuropsychiatry P.A. located somewhere or other in North Carolina. Neither they nor Medscape paid sapphoq for the nice things she said about them. Thank-you.

sapphoq healing traumatic brain injury


traumatic brain injury

symptom scale


N.C. Neuropsychiatry P.A.


cognitive testing