Stroke can cause problems with recognition, known as agnosia. But there are ways to get help.
What is agnosia?
There are two stages to recognising something.
- The first stage uses the information you get from your senses about the way it looks, feels and sounds, to develop a picture of what it is.
- The second stage compares this to the information in your memory, so you can remember what it’s called and what it does.
A stroke can affect both these stages.
Types of agnosia
- Apperceptive agnosia is when your stroke affects how your brain processes the information you receive about an object.
- Associative agnosia affects the way you remember information about objects.
Agnosia may only affect you in very specific ways. For example, some people find that although they cannot recognise an actual object, they can recognise a picture of it. Some people have agnosia for colour or faces. Having trouble recognising faces is known as prosopagnosia, sometimes called face blindness.
Signs of agnosia
Apperceptive agnosia
Apperceptive agnosia can affect any sense. You may lose the ability to recognise objects by touch, sound or sight. It usually affects just one sense. So although you may not be able to recognise an object by looking at it, you may be able to by touching it.
Problems recognising an object by sight are the most reported. It’s not that you cannot see the object at all. If someone asks you to describe the object they’re holding, you’ll be able to tell them about some of its features. You’ll know it’s white, or that it’s got a handle, for example. But you will not be able to recognise that it’s a cup. However, if you’re asked what a cup is, you’ll know exactly what it looks like and what it’s for.
Associative agnosia
If you have associative agnosia, you’ll have a full picture of the object you’re looking at, but you will not be able to remember what it’s called. So you’ll often use the wrong name. Even if you’re told the correct name, you may not be able to explain what it’s used for.
What can I do about agnosia?
Usually if you have problems with agnosia, they will be picked up by your doctors or therapists while you’re in hospital or by your community team when you’re back at home. If they have not been, and you start to notice you may be having problems, then contact your GP.
If these problems are making day-to-day life difficult, then you should be referred to an occupational therapist. They will work with you to find ways to help you cope. They can also suggest aids and equipment to help you.