Wernicke's aphasia arises from the lesion of the Wernicke area, that is the brain area on which the interpretation of the meaning of the words depends; to cause the lesion of the area of Wernicke can be various causes, among which: stroke, brain tumors, dementia and encephalitis.
Wernicke's aphasia is responsible for: impaired comprehension of spoken and written language, production of meaningless sentences, difficulty in repeating sentences, tendency to speak rapidly, writing and reading problems, anomia and anosognosia.
To formulate the diagnosis of Wernicke's aphasia, the following are essential: a doctor-patient interview, anamnesis, physical examination, a neurological examination, a speech evaluation and a radiological examination between the CT scan and the magnetic resonance of the brain.
Wernicke's aphasia is a treatable condition with more or less satisfactory results, through therapies that vary from patient to patient, depending on the triggering cause.
What does Aphasia mean in short
In medicine, the term "aphasia" indicates the loss of the ability to produce and / or understand spoken and written language, a loss that arises from the lesion of one of those areas of the brain responsible for processing the aforementioned ability.
(or expressive aphasia), which is mainly characterized by a deficit of language production.
Wernicke's aphasia is a fluent type aphasia
Wernicke's aphasia is an example of fluent aphasia; experts define as fluent the aphasias in which the subject involved, in spite of a productive speech and a normal intonation, composes long sentences, which do not follow the rules of syntax and which they contain unrelated words.
Origin of the name
Wernicke's aphasia owes its name to the German neurosurgeon Carl Wernicke (1848-1905), who is credited with having first described the brain area involved in the onset of this language disorder.
of the dominant cerebral hemisphere, the Wernicke area is the region of the cerebral cortex on which the interpretation of the meaning of the single words and the "use of the latter" in the right context, in other words the understanding of language and its appropriate production.
Brief insight into the "Wernicke Area
On the temporal lobe, Wernicke's area occupies the posterior section of the so-called superior temporal gyrus and is located on the border with the primary auditory cortex (always belonging to the temporal lobe) and the parietal lobe.
The Wernicke area is connected to the Broca area located on the frontal lobe of the dominant cerebral hemisphere: this connection is essential to guarantee the productive and comprehensive skills of speech and writing.
For further information, we recommend reading the dedicated article: Wernicke's Area: What is it and Where Is It Found? Functions and Pathologies.
Causes of Wernicke's Aphasia
The main causes of Wernicke's aphasia are episodes of stroke localized in the Wernicke area or in its immediate vicinity.
After stroke, other important causes of Wernicke's aphasia are:
- Trauma to the brain (cranial trauma) affecting the temporal lobe and which, specifically, undermine the integrity of the Wernicke area;
- Brain tumors, both malignant and benign, appearing at or in the immediate vicinity of Wernicke's area;
- Episodes of encephalitis involving the temporal lobe;
- Dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia or vascular dementia.
How the Stroke damages the Wernicke Area and induces Aphasia
In medicine, the word "stroke" means the "interruption of the blood supply to a" brain area, followed by the necrosis of the latter "due to lack of oxygen.
A stroke in the Wernicke area affects the latter (triggering Wernicke's aphasia), because it deprives it of the oxygenated blood necessary for its proper functioning and survival; after all, every tissue in the human body, when it does not receive plus the right supply of oxygenated blood, at first it works badly and subsequently (especially if the lack of blood supply is profound) it undergoes necrosis (ie it dies).
Curiosity
Statistics show that the problem of aphasia is linked to a stroke episode in 25-40% of cases.
Risk factors
Risk factors for Wernicke's aphasia include:
- The factors that predispose to stroke, ie mainly: cigarette smoking, hypertension, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, overweight, unbalanced diet, hypercholesterolemia and high triglycerides;
- Aging, as it is associated with a higher likelihood of developing dementia;
- The use of means of displacement related to the risk of head trauma (eg: motorcycle, scooter, etc.).
