Impairment of voice and face recognition in patients with hemispheric damage

Brain Cogn. 1982 Apr;1(2):185-95. doi: 10.1016/0278-2626(82)90016-1.

Abstract

Voice and face recognition were tested in 21 left- and 9 right-hemisphere-damaged patients. Test materials were photographs and recordings of famous political and entertainment personalities. Pathological face recognition (prosopagnosia) and voice recognition (phonagnosia) were both significantly more prevalent in the right-hemisphere group. Only one instance of prosopagnosia and one of phonagnosia were observed in the left-hemisphere group, all of whom were aphasic. Of the right-hemisphere cases, there were four instances of each agnosia, with three patients showing a dual impairment. These findings are discussed in relation to differential modes of processing by the two cerebral hemispheres.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Agnosia / complications
  • Agnosia / physiopathology*
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / complications
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / physiopathology*
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiopathology*
  • Face
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology
  • Speech Perception / physiology
  • Voice