Conduction aphasia

Editor-In-Chief: Prab R Tumpati, MD
Obesity, Sleep & Internal medicine
Founder, WikiMD Wellnesspedia &
W8MD's weight loss doctor NYC
Philadelphia GLP-1 weight loss and GLP-1 clinic NYC

Conduction aphasia
Synonyms	N/A
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	N/A
Symptoms	Impaired speech repetition, paraphasia, intact comprehension
Complications	N/A
Onset	Typically adult
Duration	Chronic
Types	N/A
Causes	Damage to the arcuate fasciculus or supramarginal gyrus
Risks	Stroke, brain injury
Diagnosis	Neuropsychological tests, brain imaging
Differential diagnosis	Wernicke's aphasia, Broca's aphasia, global aphasia
Prevention	N/A
Treatment	Speech therapy
Medication	N/A
Prognosis	Variable, often partial recovery
Frequency	Rare
Deaths	N/A

Conduction aphasia

Conduction aphasia is a rare form of aphasia, a language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate. It is characterized by the inability to repeat words or phrases, despite having normal speech fluency and comprehension.

Introduction

Conduction aphasia is caused by damage to the arcuate fasciculus, a bundle of nerve fibers that connects the Broca's area and Wernicke's area in the brain. These two areas are responsible for speech production and language comprehension, respectively. Despite having intact speech and comprehension, individuals with conduction aphasia struggle to repeat words or phrases.

Symptoms

The primary symptom of conduction aphasia is the inability to repeat words or phrases. Other symptoms may include:

• Difficulty finding the right words (anomia)
• Paraphasias, or speech errors
• Phonemic paraphasias, or errors in sound
• Verbal paraphasias, or errors in word choice

Causes

Conduction aphasia is caused by damage to the arcuate fasciculus. This damage can occur due to a stroke, brain tumor, traumatic brain injury, or neurodegenerative disease.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of conduction aphasia is made through a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, which includes tests of language function, memory, attention, and other cognitive abilities. Imaging tests such as MRI or CT scan may also be used to identify damage to the brain.

Treatment

Treatment for conduction aphasia typically involves speech therapy, which can help improve language skills and communication. In some cases, medications may be used to manage symptoms.

See also

• Aphasia
• Broca's area
• Wernicke's area
• Arcuate fasciculus
• Stroke
• Brain tumor
• Traumatic brain injury
• Neurodegenerative disease
• Neuropsychological assessment
• MRI
• CT scan
• Speech therapy