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What is visual agnosia?
- Visual agnosia is a condition in which the brain doesn’t process the information the eyes are receiving. This disruption manifests in different ways and has different effects (more on that later).
© Shutterstock
1 / 32 Fotos
Who’s at risk?
- Visual agnosia affects people of every age, but it seems to be more common among those who suffer from certain health conditions. These include stroke and brain injury.
© Shutterstock
2 / 32 Fotos
How common is it?
- There is not a lot of data available that can give us a clear picture of how recurrent visual agnosia is, but, overall, it’s a pretty rare condition.
© Shutterstock
3 / 32 Fotos
How does it manifest?
- Our eyes receive information and send nerve signals to the brain so that we can process that information and make sense of it. In those with visual agnosia, the parts of the brain responsible for processing that information don't work as they should, and this manifests in a discrepancy between what they see and what the brain “sees.”
© Shutterstock
4 / 32 Fotos
Causes
- As mentioned previously, visual agnosia occurs when a condition affects the brain or there is brain damage. Damage to the brain leads to injuries known as lesions. Here are a few examples of conditions or problems that cause them.
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Brain damage
- Brain tumors can cause lesions (these include both cancerous and non-cancerous growths). Traumatic brain injuries, as well as cerebral hypoxia (when there’s damage caused by lack of oxygen to the brain), can trigger visual agnosia.
© Shutterstock
6 / 32 Fotos
Brain damage
- Strokes are also a common culprit, as are brain infections (e.g. encephalitis). Those who suffer from epilepsy and seizures are also at higher risk.
© Shutterstock
7 / 32 Fotos
Brain diseases
- In addition to brain damage, some degenerative and progressive brain diseases can be the root cause of visual agnosia. These include Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Lewy body dementia, and posterior cortical atrophy.
© Shutterstock
8 / 32 Fotos
Symptoms
- Symptoms vary, depending on the type of visual agnosia. Let’s take a look at some of the most common forms of visual agnosia.
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Akinetopsia
- People who suffer from this form of visual agnosia are able to recognize objects, but are unable to recognize that they’re moving.
© Shutterstock
10 / 32 Fotos
Alexia
- Those with alexia can’t recognize words when they look at them. They see the words but can’t understand or read them. People who suffer from this form of visual agnosia can, however, still write without any issues.
© Shutterstock
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Amusia
- Amusia is a form of visual agnosia in which the person loses the ability to read music.
© Shutterstock
12 / 32 Fotos
Autotopagnosia
- Those with this type of visual agnosia are unable to recognize body parts. This applies to both their own body parts and those of others. People with autotopagnosia might also struggle to recognize body parts from an image.
© Shutterstock
13 / 32 Fotos
Achromatopsia
- People with this type of visual agnosia can see different colors and tell them apart, but are unable to identify which color is which. Achromatopsia is also known as color agnosia.
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14 / 32 Fotos
Balint syndrome
- People with Balint syndrome don’t see the world around them as a big picture with several objects and how these are connected. Instead, they see scattered objects and are unable to understand how they relate to one another.
© Shutterstock
15 / 32 Fotos
Cortical blindness
- Cortical blindness occurs when the parts of the brain that receive visual input get damaged. The eyes still work, but the signals they send are not processed by the brain.
© Shutterstock
16 / 32 Fotos
Environmental agnosia
- People with this type of visual agnosia are unable to recognize where they are, describe a location, or give directions.
© Shutterstock
17 / 32 Fotos
Form agnosia
- Those with form agnosia are able to see the parts of an object but have trouble recognizing the object itself. For instance, one could see the wheels and steering wheel of a car individually, but wouldn’t be able to recognize them as part of the whole car.
© Shutterstock
18 / 32 Fotos
Simultanagnosia
- There are different forms of simultanagnosia. Dorsal simultanagnosia is where a person is only able to see one object at a time. This means that they need to be focused on a specific object in order to see it, otherwise they won’t.
© Shutterstock
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Simultanagnosia
- Central simultanagnosia is another common one. This is where a person can see various objects at a time but is only able to identify them individually. E.g. being in a garden but only recognizing one flower at a time and never recognizing the garden as a whole.
© Shutterstock
20 / 32 Fotos
Prosopagnosia
- There are several forms of prosopagnosia, but all relate to the inability to recognize familiar faces, or facial expressions in general. This form of visual agnosia is also known as “face blindness.”
© Shutterstock
21 / 32 Fotos
Social-emotional agnosia
- This is where people are unable to recognize nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice.
© Shutterstock
22 / 32 Fotos
Diagnosis
- Diagnosis of visual agnosia usually involves looking at the person’s health history, as well as a number of physical and neurological exams. Here are a few of the tests and exams that may be prescribed.
© Shutterstock
23 / 32 Fotos
Diagnosis: exams
- Sensory tests may be done to rule out any sensory issues. Imaging tests may also be performed to look for structural abnormalities and damage in the brain.
© Shutterstock
24 / 32 Fotos
Diagnosis: exams
- Cognitive, memory, and familiarity tests may also be performed. These are used to assess any issues with the person’s thinking process and to rule out any other condition that may affect memory.
© Shutterstock
25 / 32 Fotos
Treatment
- There is no cure for visual agnosia, but some of the underlying causes may be treatable. Nonetheless, brain lesions are often permanent, and in these cases the condition will not improve.
© Shutterstock
26 / 32 Fotos
Treatment
- Treatment will depend on the underlying cause, but may include medications (e.g. antibiotics for infections or antidementia drugs). For people whose underlying cause of visual agnosia is a growth pressing on the brain, surgery is often recommended.
© Shutterstock
27 / 32 Fotos
Treatment
- There are also a number of rehabilitation programs that help people live with the condition. These include learning how to use the other senses for the effects of recognition, as well as techniques such as the labeling of objects.
© Shutterstock
28 / 32 Fotos
Prevention
- The condition is not quite preventable as such. Preventing visual agnosia boils down to reducing risks that may lead to conditions and problems that cause it. This may include a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet and exercise for the prevention of strokes.
© Shutterstock
29 / 32 Fotos
Prevention
- Infections should never be ignored. If these spread to the brain, they can have serious consequences. And if you work in a place where a head injury is a risk, wear protective gear at all times.
© Shutterstock
30 / 32 Fotos
Prevention
- Managing other conditions is equally important. Things such as epilepsy or sleep apnea can affect your brain and cause visual agnosia. Sources: (Cleveland Clinic) (ScienceDirect) (Healthline)
© Shutterstock
31 / 32 Fotos
© Shutterstock
0 / 32 Fotos
What is visual agnosia?
- Visual agnosia is a condition in which the brain doesn’t process the information the eyes are receiving. This disruption manifests in different ways and has different effects (more on that later).
© Shutterstock
1 / 32 Fotos
Who’s at risk?
- Visual agnosia affects people of every age, but it seems to be more common among those who suffer from certain health conditions. These include stroke and brain injury.
© Shutterstock
2 / 32 Fotos
How common is it?
- There is not a lot of data available that can give us a clear picture of how recurrent visual agnosia is, but, overall, it’s a pretty rare condition.
© Shutterstock
3 / 32 Fotos
How does it manifest?
- Our eyes receive information and send nerve signals to the brain so that we can process that information and make sense of it. In those with visual agnosia, the parts of the brain responsible for processing that information don't work as they should, and this manifests in a discrepancy between what they see and what the brain “sees.”
© Shutterstock
4 / 32 Fotos
Causes
- As mentioned previously, visual agnosia occurs when a condition affects the brain or there is brain damage. Damage to the brain leads to injuries known as lesions. Here are a few examples of conditions or problems that cause them.
© Shutterstock
5 / 32 Fotos
Brain damage
- Brain tumors can cause lesions (these include both cancerous and non-cancerous growths). Traumatic brain injuries, as well as cerebral hypoxia (when there’s damage caused by lack of oxygen to the brain), can trigger visual agnosia.
© Shutterstock
6 / 32 Fotos
Brain damage
- Strokes are also a common culprit, as are brain infections (e.g. encephalitis). Those who suffer from epilepsy and seizures are also at higher risk.
© Shutterstock
7 / 32 Fotos
Brain diseases
- In addition to brain damage, some degenerative and progressive brain diseases can be the root cause of visual agnosia. These include Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Lewy body dementia, and posterior cortical atrophy.
© Shutterstock
8 / 32 Fotos
Symptoms
- Symptoms vary, depending on the type of visual agnosia. Let’s take a look at some of the most common forms of visual agnosia.
© Shutterstock
9 / 32 Fotos
Akinetopsia
- People who suffer from this form of visual agnosia are able to recognize objects, but are unable to recognize that they’re moving.
© Shutterstock
10 / 32 Fotos
Alexia
- Those with alexia can’t recognize words when they look at them. They see the words but can’t understand or read them. People who suffer from this form of visual agnosia can, however, still write without any issues.
© Shutterstock
11 / 32 Fotos
Amusia
- Amusia is a form of visual agnosia in which the person loses the ability to read music.
© Shutterstock
12 / 32 Fotos
Autotopagnosia
- Those with this type of visual agnosia are unable to recognize body parts. This applies to both their own body parts and those of others. People with autotopagnosia might also struggle to recognize body parts from an image.
© Shutterstock
13 / 32 Fotos
Achromatopsia
- People with this type of visual agnosia can see different colors and tell them apart, but are unable to identify which color is which. Achromatopsia is also known as color agnosia.
© Shutterstock
14 / 32 Fotos
Balint syndrome
- People with Balint syndrome don’t see the world around them as a big picture with several objects and how these are connected. Instead, they see scattered objects and are unable to understand how they relate to one another.
© Shutterstock
15 / 32 Fotos
Cortical blindness
- Cortical blindness occurs when the parts of the brain that receive visual input get damaged. The eyes still work, but the signals they send are not processed by the brain.
© Shutterstock
16 / 32 Fotos
Environmental agnosia
- People with this type of visual agnosia are unable to recognize where they are, describe a location, or give directions.
© Shutterstock
17 / 32 Fotos
Form agnosia
- Those with form agnosia are able to see the parts of an object but have trouble recognizing the object itself. For instance, one could see the wheels and steering wheel of a car individually, but wouldn’t be able to recognize them as part of the whole car.
© Shutterstock
18 / 32 Fotos
Simultanagnosia
- There are different forms of simultanagnosia. Dorsal simultanagnosia is where a person is only able to see one object at a time. This means that they need to be focused on a specific object in order to see it, otherwise they won’t.
© Shutterstock
19 / 32 Fotos
Simultanagnosia
- Central simultanagnosia is another common one. This is where a person can see various objects at a time but is only able to identify them individually. E.g. being in a garden but only recognizing one flower at a time and never recognizing the garden as a whole.
© Shutterstock
20 / 32 Fotos
Prosopagnosia
- There are several forms of prosopagnosia, but all relate to the inability to recognize familiar faces, or facial expressions in general. This form of visual agnosia is also known as “face blindness.”
© Shutterstock
21 / 32 Fotos
Social-emotional agnosia
- This is where people are unable to recognize nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice.
© Shutterstock
22 / 32 Fotos
Diagnosis
- Diagnosis of visual agnosia usually involves looking at the person’s health history, as well as a number of physical and neurological exams. Here are a few of the tests and exams that may be prescribed.
© Shutterstock
23 / 32 Fotos
Diagnosis: exams
- Sensory tests may be done to rule out any sensory issues. Imaging tests may also be performed to look for structural abnormalities and damage in the brain.
© Shutterstock
24 / 32 Fotos
Diagnosis: exams
- Cognitive, memory, and familiarity tests may also be performed. These are used to assess any issues with the person’s thinking process and to rule out any other condition that may affect memory.
© Shutterstock
25 / 32 Fotos
Treatment
- There is no cure for visual agnosia, but some of the underlying causes may be treatable. Nonetheless, brain lesions are often permanent, and in these cases the condition will not improve.
© Shutterstock
26 / 32 Fotos
Treatment
- Treatment will depend on the underlying cause, but may include medications (e.g. antibiotics for infections or antidementia drugs). For people whose underlying cause of visual agnosia is a growth pressing on the brain, surgery is often recommended.
© Shutterstock
27 / 32 Fotos
Treatment
- There are also a number of rehabilitation programs that help people live with the condition. These include learning how to use the other senses for the effects of recognition, as well as techniques such as the labeling of objects.
© Shutterstock
28 / 32 Fotos
Prevention
- The condition is not quite preventable as such. Preventing visual agnosia boils down to reducing risks that may lead to conditions and problems that cause it. This may include a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet and exercise for the prevention of strokes.
© Shutterstock
29 / 32 Fotos
Prevention
- Infections should never be ignored. If these spread to the brain, they can have serious consequences. And if you work in a place where a head injury is a risk, wear protective gear at all times.
© Shutterstock
30 / 32 Fotos
Prevention
- Managing other conditions is equally important. Things such as epilepsy or sleep apnea can affect your brain and cause visual agnosia. Sources: (Cleveland Clinic) (ScienceDirect) (Healthline)
© Shutterstock
31 / 32 Fotos
Visual agnosia: when your brain doesn't process what you see
The condition disrupts the ability to read and recognize objects
© Shutterstock
There are some fascinating neurological conditions out there, and visual agnosia is certainly one of them. If you've never heard of it, visual agnosia is when the brain has trouble processing information transmitted by the eyes. You may look at something, but then there is a disruption of the process, usually caused by a brain issue, leading to a number of different interpretations, depending on the form of visual agnosia the person suffers from.
Confused but curious? Click through the following gallery to learn all about visual agnosia, from causes to symptoms and treatment.
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