NINDS Agnosia Information Page: NINDS
Article title: NINDS Agnosia Information Page: NINDS
Conditions: Agnosia
What is Agnosia?
Agnosia is a rare disorder characterized by an inability to recognize and identify objects or persons despite having knowledge of the characteristics of the objects or persons. People with agnosia may have difficulty recognizing the geometric features of an object or face or may be able to perceive the geometric features but not know what the object is used for or whether a face is familiar or not. Agnosia can be limited to one sensory modality such as vision or hearing. For example, a person may have difficulty in recognizing an object as a cup or identifying a sound as a cough. Agnosia can result from strokes, dementia, or other neurological disorders. It typically results from damage to specific brain areas in the occipital or parietal lobes of the brain. People with agnosia may retain their cognitive abilities in other areas.
Is there any
treatment?
Treatment is generally symptomatic and supportive. The
primary cause of the disorder should be determined in order to treat other
problems that may contribute to or result in agnosia.
What is the
prognosis?
Agnosia can compromise quality of life.
What research is being
done?
The NINDS supports research on disorders of the brain such as
agnosia with the goal of finding ways to prevent or cure them.
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
P.O. Box 8923
(100 Route 37)
New Fairfield, CT 06812-8923
orphan@rarediseases.org
http://www.rarediseases.org/
Tel:
203-746-6518 800-999-NORD (6673)
Fax: 203-746-6481
National Eye Institute (NEI)
National Institutes of Health
Bldg. 31, Rm. 6A32
Bethesda, MD 20892-2510
2020@b31.nei.nih.gov
http://www.nei.nih.gov/
Tel:
301-496-5248 Professionals 800-869-2020
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
(NIDCD)
National Institutes of Health
Bldg. 31, Rm. 3C35
Bethesda, MD 20892-2320
nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/
Tel:
301-496-7243 TTD/TTY: 301-241-1055
This fact sheet is in the public domain. You may copy it.Provided
by:
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD
20892
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