Face Recognition Training for Face Blindness

Overseen By Joseph DeGutis, Ph.D.

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Boston VA Research Institute, Inc.

Disqualifiers: Neurological disorders, Psychiatric disorders, Substance dependence, others

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

Duration: 6 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores two new training programs to assist individuals with face blindness, also known as developmental prosopagnosia. The researchers aim to determine if face memory training or face perception training can enhance the ability to recognize and remember faces. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: memory training, perception training, or a control group. The study seeks individuals who have consistently struggled to recognize faces in everyday situations, unrelated to any specific medical event. As an unphased trial, it offers participants the chance to contribute to groundbreaking research that could lead to new methods for improving face recognition.

Do I have to stop taking my current medications for the trial?

The trial protocol does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you have ADHD, your medication must have been consistent for the past 6 months. Also, if you are currently in a behavioral or pharmacological intervention, you cannot participate.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research shows that memory and perception training programs for face blindness are generally easy for people to handle. Previous studies have explored various methods to help individuals with prosopagnosia, or face blindness, improve face processing. These methods often use computer-based training and have not been linked to major side effects.

For face memory training, studies suggest that participants can safely engage in sessions that enhance their ability to remember faces. Similarly, face perception training, which aids in recognizing differences in facial features, has not raised major safety concerns.

Although specific safety data for these exact training programs is limited, both types of training are non-invasive and resemble mental exercises or puzzles. This makes them relatively low-risk compared to other medical treatments. Participants have generally completed these training sessions without significant issues. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the face recognition training trial for face blindness because it explores innovative ways to improve facial recognition skills. Unlike traditional therapies that might focus on general cognitive training or compensatory strategies, this trial specifically targets face memory and perception through structured exercises. The face memory training aims to enhance how well individuals can remember faces by gradually increasing the difficulty, while the face perception training hones the ability to discern subtle differences in facial features. This targeted approach could offer more effective and specialized support for people with face blindness, potentially leading to better social interactions and quality of life.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for face blindness?

Research has shown that face memory training, which participants in this trial may receive, can help individuals with face blindness, also known as developmental prosopagnosia, recognize faces better. In a study by Bate and colleagues, 10 adults with this condition improved their ability to remember faces after completing a face memory training program. This suggests that enhancing face memory can be beneficial.

For face perception training, another treatment option in this trial, results are mixed. Some studies suggest it might improve how people process faces, but many experts believe that significant improvements are difficult to achieve. However, ongoing research is exploring the effectiveness of these training programs, especially when they focus on recognizing specific facial features like the distance between the eyes and eyebrows. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Joseph DeGutis, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Harvard Medical School/VA Boston Healthcare Systems

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults aged 18-90 with lifelong difficulties in recognizing faces, impacting daily life. They must perform poorly on specific face recognition tests. Excluded are those with severe cognitive impairments, psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia or major depression, substance dependence, recent behavioral interventions, or significant neurological disorders.

Inclusion Criteria

You have had trouble recognizing faces for as long as you can remember, and it affects your daily life. This difficulty is not due to a specific event like a stroke or seizure.

You have performed significantly below average on tests that measure how well you recognize famous faces and remember faces.

Exclusion Criteria

I have a history of serious brain or nerve conditions.

You have serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, or severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

You are currently addicted to alcohol or drugs.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Treatment

Participants undergo 6 weeks of face perception or memory training, or active control training

6 weeks

Weekly coaching sessions

Post-Treatment Assessment

Participants are assessed within two weeks of training completion

2 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in face recognition abilities after a 12-week no-contact period

12 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Face Memory Training
• Face Perception Training
• Placebo control training

Trial Overview The study compares two experimental training programs designed to improve face processing abilities in people with developmental prosopagnosia against an active control group. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: perception training, memory training, or placebo control.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Memory Training Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will perform 6 weeks of face memory training (5 x 40 min sessions/week) that targets enhancing encoding to improve face recollection. As training progresses, the repetition lags (spaces between repeated foil faces) and number of faces will increase.

Group II: Perception Training Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will perform 6 weeks of face perception training (5 x 40 min sessions/week) that require discriminating faces based on internal features (e.g., eyebrow-eye distance). As training progresses, the faces will become more challenging and the face sizes will vary.

Group III: Active Control Training Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Participants will perform 6 weeks of face perception training (5 x 40 min sessions/week) that require discriminating faces based on external facial features (e.g., hair). As training progresses, the faces will become more challenging and the face sizes will vary.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Boston VA Research Institute, Inc.

Lead Sponsor

Trials

24

Recruited

10,800+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A face training program was effective in improving face memory skills in adults with developmental prosopagnosia, showing significant gains that persisted for at least two weeks after training, particularly in those with the most severe recognition difficulties.

In a smaller study with children, three out of four participants showed improvements in face memory, indicating that the training may also benefit younger individuals, although results for face perception were mixed.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Face recognition improvements in adults and children with face recognition difficulties. Bate, S., Dalrymple, K., Bennetts, RJ.[2022]

The case study focuses on a 13-year-old boy and his mother, both with congenital prosopagnosia, highlighting the significant impact this disorder has on their daily lives, including safety concerns and difficulties in social interactions.

The study emphasizes the need for tailored interventions and coping strategies, particularly for school nurses, to support students with prosopagnosia in managing academic and interpersonal challenges.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Do I know you? A case study of prosopagnosia (face blindness). Diaz, AL.[2008]

The term 'prosopagnosia' is often misused to describe patients with face recognition issues, but this condition should only refer to visual recognition deficits, not those involving other modalities like voice or name recognition.

Two case studies and a neuroanatomical analysis highlight the importance of accurately diagnosing recognition deficits, as mislabeling can lead to misunderstandings about the nature and scope of a patient's condition.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Not all patients labeled as "prosopagnosia" have a real prosopagnosia. Gainotti, G.[2019]

The case study of AL, an 8-year-old with prosopagnosia, revealed specific impairments in facial feature perception, particularly with eyes and nose, while showing relatively better perception of mouth features.

A targeted treatment program improved AL's ability to name familiar faces and reduced his reliance on non-facial cues, leading to fewer misidentifications of unfamiliar faces, indicating the potential for effective intervention in face perception impairments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Developmental prosopagnosia: A case analysis and treatment study. Brunsdon, R., Coltheart, M., Nickels, L., et al.[2010]

Individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) performed similarly to control participants on a standardized test of unfamiliar face matching (Glasgow Face Matching Test), indicating that their face recognition issues may not stem from a basic perceptual deficit.

However, DP participants showed significantly poorer performance on a more variable test (Local Heroes Test) that involved matching faces under different conditions, suggesting they struggle specifically with matching images of the same person that vary in appearance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Face matching impairment in developmental prosopagnosia. White, D., Rivolta, D., Burton, AM., et al.[2019]

Acquired prosopagnosia, a condition where individuals lose the ability to recognize faces, can result from brain lesions and has different forms, including apperceptive, amnestic, and associative variants.

Recent studies indicate that perceptual training can modestly improve face recognition abilities in individuals with prosopagnosia, suggesting potential rehabilitation strategies for this condition.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Prosopagnosia and disorders of face processing. Barton, JJS., Davies-Thompson, J., Corrow, SL.[2021]

A 6-year-old boy with congenital prosopagnosia showed significant improvements in face recognition after a targeted training program, successfully recognizing relatives and classmates by the end of the intervention.

Eye movement recordings indicated that the boy initially focused on the lower parts of faces, but training helped him learn to explore and recognize internal facial features, leading to better recognition abilities.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Congenital prosopagnosia in a child: Neuropsychological assessment, eye movement recordings and training. Pizzamiglio, MR., De Luca, M., Di Vita, A., et al.[2017]

Prosopagnosia, or face blindness, is diagnosed at a low rate of 0.012% in the population, indicating it is likely underdiagnosed despite its significant impact on quality of life.

Individuals with prosopagnosia often have higher rates of comorbid conditions such as personality disorders, depression, epilepsy, and anxiety, suggesting that these conditions may be linked and highlighting the need for better diagnostic practices.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Interrogating an ICD-coded electronic health records database to characterize the epidemiology of prosopagnosia. Pressl, C., Jiang, CS., Correa da Rosa, J., et al.[2022]

The computerized Benton Face Recognition Test (BFRT-c) and the Cambridge Face Perception Test (CFPT) were found to be effective in differentiating individuals with developmental prosopagnosia from age-matched controls, with BFRT-c performing as well or better than CFPT.

These tests outperformed other assessments like the University of Southern California Face Perception Test and a novel same/different face matching test, suggesting that BFRT-c and CFPT are reliable tools for assessing face perception impairments in both clinical and research settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Comparing the sensitivity of face matching assessments to detect face perception impairments. Mishra, MV., Fry, RM., Saad, E., et al.[2022]

Strategic compensatory training, like verbalizing distinctive facial features, has been found to be the most effective approach for improving face processing in individuals with acquired prosopagnosia (AP).

Recent studies indicate that adults with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) may benefit from both remedial training and treatments like oxytocin, showing group-level improvements and potential for generalization, suggesting that they have a more intact face processing system compared to those with AP.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Face processing improvements in prosopagnosia: successes and failures over the last 50 years. DeGutis, JM., Chiu, C., Grosso, ME., et al.[2023]

Citations

1. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05800782?term=AREA%5BConditionSearch%5D(%22Agnosia%22)&rank=3

Face Perception vs. Memory Training to Improve ... The goal of this study is to test the effectiveness of two experimental training programs aimed at improving face processing in developmental prosopagnosia ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8977649/

Face recognition improvements in adults and children with ... Following a face training programme, Bate et al. reported an improvement in face memory in 10 adults with developmental prosopagnosia. Four children with face ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10451769/

Face Blindness in Children and Current Interventions - PMC This paper reviews existing research on interventions for children with prosopagnosia, including compensatory and remedial strategies, and provides a summary ...

4. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04799340

Computer-based Training of Face Recollection to Improve ... This study will examine the effectiveness of a cognitive training intervention targeting face recollection, repetition lag training, at improving face ...

5. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-prosopagnosia-3-2023-30485

Face Recognition Training for Face Blindness The goal of this study is to test the effectiveness of two experimental training programs aimed at improving face processing in developmental prosopagnosia ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4107857/

The rehabilitation of face recognition impairments: a critical ... In this paper, we present a critical analysis of the studies that have attempted to improve face-processing skills in acquired and developmental prosopagnosia.

7. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929314000450

Dissociation between face perception and face memory in ... Results from adults indicate that face perception and face memory are dissociable, while the results from children provide no evidence for this division.