Aphasia

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Aphasia

Aphasia (/əˈfeɪʒə/, /əˈfeɪziə/ or /eɪˈfeɪziə/; from Ancient Greek: ἀφασία aphasia, "speechlessness") is an inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions. This damage is typically caused by a cerebral vascular accident (stroke), or head trauma; however, these are not the only possible causes. To be diagnosed with aphasia, a person's speech or language must be significantly impaired in one (or several) of the four communication modalities following acquired brain injury or have a decline from a previous level of functioning.

Types of Aphasia

Aphasia can be subdivided into fluent aphasia and non-fluent aphasia, depending on the person's speech fluency. Fluent aphasias include Wernicke's aphasia, anomic aphasia, and conduction aphasia. Non-fluent aphasias include Broca's aphasia, transcortical motor aphasia, and global aphasia.

Causes

The most common cause of aphasia is brain damage resulting from a stroke — the blockage or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. Loss of blood to the brain leads to brain cell death or damage in areas that control language. Brain damage caused by a severe head injury, a tumor, an infection, or a degenerative disease can also cause aphasia. In some cases, aphasia is a symptom of epilepsy or other neurological disorders.

Treatment

Treatment for aphasia is usually done by speech and language therapy. The treatment is tailored to the individual needs of the person, and it depends on the type and severity of the language and speech problems, as well as the individual's health status, age, and personal goals.

See also

References


External links

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