One of the biggest drawbacks of getting sick with COVID-19 is the inability to be around friends or family during quarantine. But could the virus make it difficult to recognize loved ones?
A recent study in the journal Cortex suggests that it is possible. Researchers from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshirereported the first case of prosopagnosia (otherwise known as “face blindness”) as a symptom after COVID-19 infection.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines prosopagnosia as “a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces.”
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The condition is caused by “congenital influence, damage, or alteration of a fold in the brain that appears to coordinate neural systems controlling facial perception and memory,” the website states.
Woman unable to recognize family members after COVID
The study focused on a 28-year-old woman named Annie, who contracted COVID in March 2020. Prior to this, Annie had no trouble recognizing faces – but two months after contracting the virus, she struggled to identify even his closest family members.
Researchers at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire have reported the first case of prosopagnosia (otherwise known as “face blindness”) as a symptom after a COVID-19 infection. (Stock)
In one instance, Annie reported that she was unable to recognize her father’s face when she passed him in a restaurant, saying it was as if “my father’s voice came out of a stranger’s face. “.
She told researchers that she now relies on people’s voices as a means of identification.
In testing, Annie was able to identify objects and scenes, but failed to identify familiar faces.
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She has also reported deficits in her navigation skills, as she now has trouble finding her way around a grocery store, locating her parked car without help, or remembering directions to frequently visited places. (Researchers cited difficulty navigating as a common symptom in patients with prosopagnosia.)
The researchers also collected survey responses from 54 people with long COVID. A majority said they had problems with visual recognition and navigation.
“Annie’s results indicate that COVID-19 can produce severe and selective neuropsychological impairment similar to deficits observed following brain damageand it appears that high-level visual impairments are not uncommon in people with long COVID,” the researchers wrote.
Prosopagnosia is caused by a congenital influence, injury or alteration of a fold of the brain involved in facial perception and memory. (Stock)
Long COVID refers to a condition in which virus symptoms persist for more than 12 weeks after initial infection.
COVID-19 has been more often linked to other neurological symptomsincluding loss of taste and smell, speech difficulties, visual disturbances and psychosis, the researchers wrote.
Limitations highlight the need for more research
Dr. Zachary Hoy, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Board Certified by the Pediatrix Medical Group in Nashville, TNwho was not involved in the research, pointed out that several studies have emerged describing the long-lasting neurological disorders of COVID.
“It was as if my father’s voice came out of a stranger’s face.”
“This describes facial recognition as one of the primary deficits of the case study patient, but describes several tests used to determine different neurocognitive deficits,” he told Fox News Digital via email. .
“I predict we will find more of these studies as more patients with long COVID [are] identified.”
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The study had some limitations. For example, Annie did not have an MRI of her brain due to insurance limitations, which means it is possible that a stroke could have caused his symptoms.
Annie was also not tested for COVID-19 due to a lack of available test kits; her primary care provider diagnosed her.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines prosopagnosia as “a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces.” (Stock)
“It is unfortunate that in this study, the control patient did not undergo COVID PCR testing, COVID antibody testing, or brain MRI imaging,” said Dr. Hoy from Nashville.
“The members of the control group were from a COVID support group, but he did not describe the definition or the inclusion/exclusion criteria. He mentions that the members of the control group had contracted COVID, but did not didn’t describe what that meant in relation to COVID testing.”
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The doctor added that while this study did a good job of describing testing and comparisons of several neurocognitive tests, more rigorous testing is needed to strengthen its findings.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the study authors in Dartmouth for comment.