The Rockefeller University

The Genetics of Developmental Face Blindness Prosopagnosia - a Clinical Pilot Project

Purpose

Developmental face blindness also referred to as developmental Prosopagnosia is estimated to affect up to 2.5 percent of the general population causing severe consequences for the quality of lives of those affected. The condition is thought to result from genetic alterations which are currently unknown. To better understand the genesis of the condition and to evaluate potential strategies for treatment the current project aims to determine the genetic underpinnings of developmental prosopagnosia through genetic testing to identify causal mutations. This study will combine genetic testing with psychophysical testing of face recognition abilities. We will recruit individuals through the following major routes. (For the first route) We have created a recruitment flyer which we will distribute in the community. This flyer contains a summary regarding the study as well as the contact information of RU"s recruitment office. Additionally to this recruitment path we will utilize a preexisting online database (https://www.faceblind.org/contactus/index.html) established by Ken Nakayama and Bradley Duchaine one of our collaborators. Potential participants will be recruited from faceblind.org where they will have expressed their willingness to participate in research beforehand. Bradley Duchaine will distribute the study flyer to the individuals who expressed interest. By applying these two strategies we hope to reach a large number of individuals from diverse communities. Through the distribution of the same flyer to all potential participants we make sure that all individuals are instructed to contact the recruitment office and undergo the same enrollment processes. The RU recruitment team will screen individuals for eligibility record demographic information and their contact information and provided the participants with their unique code for identification and provide the test link leading to the online behavioral testing.

Condition

• Prosopagnosia