Aphasia in Brief: Summary of Aphasia

Summary of Aphasia

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Aphasia Aphasia: speech deficit, usually resulting from brain pathologies. Aphasia identifies an alteration in the ability to understand and use both words and verbal expressions Aphasia: incidence 150,000 aphasia patients in Italy
It affects 40% of left hemisphere stroke patients
20,000 new cases every year Aphasia: etymologies and meaning of the term Literal translation: aphasia comes from the Greek ἀφασία, what does it mean silence
Meaning: an aphasic patient is not always "the one who does not speak", but also "the one who speaks, without the ability to communicate" Aphasia: general description Aphasia affects several aspects of communication:

• word production
• word structuring
• understanding of language
• repetition of words
• ability to repeat a word or phrase
• ability to express a concept, to speak or to write

Aphasia: causes

• Stroke (stroke)
• Head trauma
• Multiple sclerosis
• Alzheimer's disease
• Cerebropathy
• Vascular injury
• Hemorrhage or ischemia
• Transient ischemia
• Brain infarcts
• Encephalitis and infectious processes
• Partial seizures
• Migraine committee
• Brain tumor

Aphasia: diseases associated with aphasia

• Dysarthria
• Apraxia
• Hemiplagia
• Hemiparesis
• Amnesia
• Hemianopia
• Seizures associated with loss of consciousness
• Movement alteration

Aphasia: associations

• ALIAS, born in Italy around 1996
• A.IT.A Federation, acronym of Italian Aphasic Associations

General objectives of the associations: inform, raise awareness and involve the population, seek an alternative program, encourage research, encourage contact between the patient and the family member Flowing aphasias Description: intonation, rhythm, accent and duration of almost normal sentences; not entirely productive speech. Often the patient is unaware of their deficit Classification:

• Conduction or repetition aphasia
• Anomic aphasia (amnesia nominum or amnesic aphasia)
• Sensory or Wernike aphasia
• Sensory transcortical aphasia

Non-flowing aphasias Description: The intonation and rhythm of the words are evidently anomalous and particularly slow. Most of the affected subjects are aware of their verbal deficit, refusal to speak, complacency
Classification:

• Dynamic aphasia

• Motor transcortical aphasia
• Mixed transcortical aphasia

• Broca's aphasia (or motor aphasia)

Global aphasias The most severe form of aphasia:

• Non-fluent speech
• Suppression of words
• Severe impairment of language comprehension
• Target: production of the word, elaboration and understanding of the same

Another classification of aphasia

• Receptor aphasia
• Receptive aphasia
• Expressive or modifying aphasia

Aphasia: key points for diagnosis Assessment of the abilities of:

• understanding of words
• name / identify objects
• repeat some words
• recognition of words spelled slowly
• writing
• any neologisms
• repeat / imitate sounds

Differential diagnosis: Aachen test for aphasia Goals:

• Determine the disease and identify the exact type of aphasia
• Assess the severity of aphasia
• To catalog and classify affected patients within a standard and precise syndrome

Evaluation of:

• Spontaneous language
• Word repetition
• Naming of objects or colors
• Repetition of words
• Oral / written comprehension

Differential diagnosis: Token test for aphasia Token test: it gives an idea about the comprehension of the oral language and the degree of alteration of the same Other diagnostic tests for the evaluation of aphasia

• Language test
• Fluence test
• Evaluation of the cortical quotient
• Benton test

Aphasia: therapies

• Speech therapy therapies
• Rehabilitation of communication
• Care of thoughts
• Learning therapy through visual, tactile and linguistic stimuli
• Linguistic approaches
• Linguistic-cognitive and pragmatic-communicative therapies
• Communicative rehabilitation through images and figures

Aphasia: therapies and clinical evidence

• A targeted and continuous rehabilitation can bring extraordinary results
• The regularity of speech rehabilitation seems essential for a good prognosis
• Bilingual patients regain the ability to speak and communicate with their mother tongue relatively quickly
• Mild aphasia: the patient regains all their language skills without the need for targeted rehabilitation therapy

Other articles on "Aphasia in Brief: Summary of" Aphasia "

1. Aphasia: therapy
2. Aphasia
3. Aphasia: classification
4. Aphasia: diagnosis