Man Has Brain Surgery, Then Starts Seeing Cat Features on Human Faces
Summary
A 28-year-old man named Karl developed prosopometamorphopsia after surgery to remove an arteriovenous malformation in the right posterior temporal lobe of his brain. He sometimes sees catlike features on human faces and human features on his pet cat, with distortions lasting hours or occasionally all day.Key Facts
- Karl’s visual distortions began after brain surgery two years ago.
- Prosopometamorphopsia, or PMO, causes people to see faces as distorted.
- Karl may see human eyes change shape, pupils enlarge, or facial skin take on catlike texture and shading.
- He sometimes sees features from familiar people’s faces appear on his cat or transfer between people.
- The right posterior temporal lobe plays a central role in face perception.
- PMO can follow conditions or events that disrupt face-processing brain areas, including stroke, tumors, epilepsy, head injury, or surgery.
- There is no established treatment for PMO, though treating an underlying condition may reduce distortions.
- A 1986 case described a woman whose dog’s facial features appeared on other bus passengers for about 30 minutes.
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