Impairment of facial recognition in patients with right cerebral infarcts quantified by computer aided "morphing".
OBJECTIVE
To investigate where facial recognition is located anatomically and to establish whether there is a graded transition from unimpaired recognition of faces to complete prosopagnosia after infarctions in the territory of the middle cerebral artery.


METHODS
A computerised morphing program was developed which shows 30 frames gradually changing from portrait photographs of unfamiliar persons to those of well known persons. With a standardised protocol, 31 patients with right and left sided infarctions in the territory of the middle cerebral artery and an age and sex matched control group were compared by non-parametric tests.


CONCLUSIONS
Facial recognition in patients with right sided lesions was significantly impaired compared with controls and with patients with left sided lesions. A graded impairment in facial recognition in patients with right sided ischaemic infarcts in the territory of the middle cerebral artery seems to exist.
Rösler
A
A
Department of Neurology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany.
Lanquillon
S
S
Dippel
O
O
Braune
H J
HJ
D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003196:Computer Graphics; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D012984:Software; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed