Did Prosopagnosia Help Discover the Fusiform Face Area?

💡 The Answer

• Yes, studies of prosopagnosic patients localized face processing to the fusiform gyrus.
• Neurological cases showed that damage there selectively impaired face recognition.
• This led to fMRI experiments confirming the fusiform face area's role.
• The condition provided a natural experiment for understanding visual perception.
• It remains a key model for studying domain-specific brain regions.