Nonfluent Aphasias

Type
Brocas Aphasia
Site of lesion: Brocas Area: 3rd convolution (gyrus & sulcus) left frontal lobe Brodmanns areas 44 & 45

Diagram

Behavioral Characteristics/ deficits

Agrammatism Effortful Speech Short, telegraphic phrases Presence of Apraxia Naming problems Slow speech rate Lacking intonation Poor reading and writing Relatively good auditory comprehension Intact repetition Lack of spontaneous speech Naming problems Short, telegraphic sentences Good articulation Agrammatism Paraphasis

Prognosis & Goals

Transcortical Motor Aphasia

Site of Lesion: Superior & Anterior to Brocas area Communication b/w Brocas area and pre-motor or supplementary motor area (Brodmanns Area 6) cut off. Links to Basal ganglia and/or thalamus may be severed

Isolation/Mixed Aphasia Site of lesion:

Similar to Brocas but severely impaired comprehension Marked naming difficulty Mild-moderately impaired repetition skills

Global Aphasia Site of lesion: both anterior and posterior lesions

All language functions severely affected (receptive and expressive) Severe deficits in comprehension and production Naming problems Difficulty with gestural skills Impaired reading and writing

Fluent Aphasias
Type
Wernickes Aphasia
Site of lesion: Wernickes area: posterior region of left superior temporal gyrus . Extends into parietal lobe, affecting angular gyrus- center for reading, writing & auditory comprehension. Adjacent to Hechls Gyrus. Brodmanns areas 21 and 42

Diagram

Behavioral Characteristics/ deficits

Fluent but meaningless speech Severe auditory comprehension deficit Jargon, paraphasias, and neologisms Good articulation and intonation Naming difficulties Poor reading comprehension Writing deficits

Prognosis & Goals

Conduction Aphasia Site of lesion: damage to arcuate fasciculus bundle of

nerve fibers below supramarginal gyrus in the temporal lobe. Connects Brocas and Wernickes both Brocas and Wernickes intact.

Marked difficulty repeating words and phrases Only minor comprehension problems Good articulation and prosody Naming problems Recognition of errors with attempts to self-correct Intact repetition Poor auditory Comprehension Naming difficulties Paraphasias

Transcortical Sensory Aphasia Site of lesion: Brocas area, Wernickes area and arcuate fascilicus are undamaged. Cut off from the rest of the brain by infarcted tissue. Anomic Aphasia Site of lesion: localized with least reliability of any aphasic syndromes. Often temporal and parietal, Angular gyrus may also be affected causing alexia and agraphia

Marked naming problems Near-normal language Good comprehension Good repetition skills Relatively good auditory comprehension Good articulation Good grammar