Related articles: Aphasia
Definition
Aphasia is a language disorder that alters the ability to understand and / or express words.
It can derive from a dysfunction of the nerve centers, located in the cerebral cortex and in the nuclei of the base, deputed to the comprehension and the elaboration of the language, or from dysfunctions of the connection ways between these areas of the brain. Aphasia may therefore arise due to localized brain lesions, such as cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, expansive brain tumor or head injury, or due to a local infectious process (eg encephalitis or brain abscess). ) or degenerative (cerebral atrophies).
According to the damaged cortical area, aphasia is divided into receptive (or Wernicke's aphasia) and expressive (or Broca's aphasia). In the first case, patients show difficulty in attributing meaning to language, both hearing and writing; although they can fluently pronounce words, these often include neologisms or phonemes that make them meaningless. In expressive aphasia, on the other hand, individuals understand language and know what it means, but are unable to speak or write correctly.
The resolution of the disorder depends on the cause and extent of the injury as well as on the age of the patient. Sometimes, speech therapy can facilitate recovery.
Possible Causes * of Aphasia
- Brain aneurysm
- Atherosclerosis
- Transient ischemic attack
- Botulism
- Vascular dementia
- Encephalitis
- Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE)
- Stroke
- Cerebral ischemia
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- Huntington's disease
- Alzheimer's disease
- Multiple sclerosis
