Agnosia

About agnosia

Agnosia is a rare disease, and it is outlined by the individual’s incapability to identify and distinguish people or objects despite having previous knowledge of the object or person’s characteristics. Sufferers of agnosia might struggle to recognise the geometric shapes of a person’s face or a physical object, or they may be able to distinguish the features but be unable to recall what the object is used for, or whether they know the person or not.

It is possible for agnosia to be limited to just one sensory modality, e.g. hearing or vision.

Example

A person with agnosia might find it difficult to recognise that an object as a book, or a sound as a dog’s bark.

How do people develop agnosia?

Agnosia can result from a number of medical conditions, such as:

• A stroke
• Developmental disorders
• Dementia
• Other neurological conditions

Usually, agnosia is caused by damage to certain areas of the brain, in the parietal or occipital lobes. People who develop agnosia can still retain other cognitive abilities in other areas of the brain.

How is agnosia treated?

Generally, treatment depends on the symptoms and helps to relieve the symptoms of agnosia. In order to treat other problems that may result in agnosia or contribute to it, the primary cause should be properly diagnosed.

What is the prognosis for agnosia?

Agnosia can compromise the quality of the patient’s life.