brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Aphasia
Types of Aphasia
There are two main types of aphasia: Wernicke (receptive) aphasia:If the Wernicke area is damaged, people have difficulty understanding spoken and written language. They usually speak fluently and with a natural rhythm, but the sentences come out as confused strings of words (sometimes referred to as word salad). They may not know that they are speaking nonsense. Most affected people are also unable to read words. They write as they speak—fluently but incomprehensibly. Broca (expressive) aphasia:If the Broca area is damaged, people may mostly understand the meaning of words and know how they want to respond. However, they have difficulty finding the words to say. Their words are forced out slowly and with great effort, sometimes interrupted by expletives, but what they say makes sense to them. The normal rhythm and emphasis of speech is also missing. They have trouble repeating phrases. Most affected people are also unable to write words. Different areas of the brain control specific functions. Consequently, where the brain is damaged determines which function is lost. Aphasia may also involve Loss of the ability to comprehend written words (alexia) Loss of the ability to recall or say the names of objects (anomia): Some people with anomia cannot remember the right word at all. Others have a word in mind but cannot say it. People with anomia tend to speak fluently but use phrases that do not mean anything or say what they mean in a round-about way. Most people with aphasia have anomia. This type of aphasia is called anomic aphasia. Loss of the ability to repeat words, phrases, or sentences (conduction aphasia): People with conduction aphasia cannot repeat what they hear. They often use the wrong word or use word combinations that do not make sense. They can speak fluently, but they cannot say the names of objects (anomia). Loss of almost all ability to understand, speak, or write language (global aphasia): Global aphasia occurs when the left temporal and frontal lobes (including the Broca and Wernicke areas) are damaged. People may be able to utter expletives because the right side of the brain, which is more involved in emotions, is not damaged. Most people with aphasia have more than one type, although one type is often more severe than the others. Most people who have expressive or receptive aphasia have both types to some degree. But types of aphasia overlap a lot. Thus, doctors tend to describe the specific problems a person has in addition to identifying the type of aphasia. 