Aphasia is the condition in which a patient has an impairment to process and use language in reading, writing, speaking, and listening to dialogue. The parts of the brain that is most involved in language processing are the frontal lobes (contains Broca’s area, found in the left inferior frontal gyrus), the temporal lobe (contains Wernicke's area, located in the left posterior superior temporal gyrus), and the parietal lobe (responsible for sensing the surroundings).
Quick Note!
When we say that Broca’s area is in the “left inferior frontal gyrus” and Wernicke's area is in the “left posterior superior temporal gyrus” we must break it down to what this actually means in relation to the brain: “left” or “right” is in the perspective of the patient on the sagittal plane, so looking at a patient in their face, their left part is to your right. Looking at the patient at the back, their left part is your left. “Inferior” and “superior” correspond to the vertical axis, called the transverse plane, on top or bottom. For example, your brain is inferior to your spinal cord. Similarly, “posterior” and “anterior” talk about the horizontal axis (frontal plane) across your midline, so your hamstrings are posterior and your quadriceps are anterior. Finally, we have the lobes, the frontal lobe and temporal lobe, and a gyrus is a fold on your cerebrum, the surface of the brain. (Extra: “Proximal” and “distal” talk about how close you are to the part you mention; for example, the proximal end of your forearm is the start of your forearm from your center, so its connection to your radius bone, and the “distal” end of your forearm is the most “distant” part of your forearm, your hand.)
Types of Aphasia
There are different types of aphasia, and they correspond to different stages of language impairment as well as causes. Most types of aphasia are caused through stroke, but primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is known as a syndrome where a patient may get it over time. Anomic aphasia is the most well-known type of aphasia where a patient may forget the right word for what they want to describe, as if the words are “on the tips” of their tongues. Not just with speaking, it is often not known that patients with anomic aphasia can also have difficulty finding the right words to write about. Wernicke’s aphasia starts to become a little more severe, often called “fluent aphasia” or “receptive aphasia” because patients may be able to describe what they want to, but they may occasionally use incorrect words. However, their conditions become impaired, and they lose a lot of their language comprehension abilities in reading and writing.
As you get to mixed non-fluent aphasia and Broca’s aphasia, patients are unable to read beyond elementary school level, have halting speech, and they may start to become incomprehensible when speaking. Mixed non-fluent aphasia is different from Broca’s aphasia because their comprehension level, listening to someone speak or reading, is worse. Finally, global aphasia is the most severe form of aphasia, where there are multiple parts of the brain that are injured, and they can only produce a few recognizable words.
Aphasia is accompanied by lack of confidence, frustration, and ultimately, an inability to connect with others in a meaningful way. Families and individuals who experience aphasia fight hard to keep loved ones close in other ways, but ultimately, more research is needed to test how the brain is injured during strokes, other causes for aphasia, and ways to treat aphasia.
For more information, please visit the National Aphasia Association, and consider donating to their cause to raise awareness about aphasia.
