The Strange Condition That Causes People to Get Lost in Their Own Homes

Developmental topographical disorientation is a lifelong navigation disorder that can cause people to get lost even in familiar places, including their own homes.

People with the condition may recognize landmarks and have otherwise normal cognition, but struggle to form the mental maps needed to navigate.

Research, including brain-imaging studies, links the difficulty to atypical activity during spatial mapping and highlights its impact on independence, school, and work.