Aphasia occurs when there is a brain disorder affecting a person's communication abilities, particularly speech. In Wernicke's aphasia, there is a clear difficulty in speaking coherent sentences or understanding others.
What does this aphasia consist of?
Wernicke's aphasia is the most common type of aphasia. It occurs when the left hemisphere of the brain is damaged or impaired for some reason . This part of the brain is known as Wernicke's area, named after the neurologist Carl Wernicke. This area controls human language and is located near where language is stored. A person with this type of aphasia will have difficulty processing spoken words.
Specifically, the ability to understand the meaning of spoken words and sentences is more affected than the ability to produce speech. This type of aphasia is also known as 'fluent aphasia' or 'receptive aphasia'.
When a person has Wernicke's aphasia, reading and writing can also be seriously affected. These individuals will have perfectly normal cognitive abilities and are fully aware of their difficulties. They can produce words and use sentences that are correct in both rhythm and prosody, but what they say may not make much sense, or they may skip sentences or make up words. They may not realize they are using the wrong words and are not fully aware that what they are saying doesn't make sense. They find it strange when others don't understand them.
For all of this, people who have Wernicke's aphasia may have a profound deficit in understanding language, even in single words or simple sentences. This is due to damage or alteration in the area of ​​the brain where the meaning of words and spoken language is processed.
Symptom
To know if a person may be suffering from Wernicke's aphasia, it must be taken into account that it affects speech and comprehension. People with Wernicke's aphasia may:
- Putting words together to make sentences that don't make sense
- Invent words without meaning
- Not realizing that you are wrong while speaking
- Speaking with normal rhythm and prosody without realizing what you are saying is meaningless.
- Articulate words correctly
- Difficulty repeating sentences
- Add words when trying to repeat a sentence
- interrupt others
- Fast talk
Difficulty with spoken language may not extend to other aspects of brain function. Aphasia is different from a disease like Alzheimer's, in which many brain functions decline over time. Those with Wernicke's aphasia may have impaired reading and writing skills, understand visual materials better than written or spoken words, and maintain their cognitive abilities well, except for those related to language.
Causes that can cause Wernicke's aphasia
The most common causes are usually injuries or damage to the left hemisphere of the brain. Having a stroke is one potential cause of this condition because it affects blood flow to the brain. If blood doesn't reach Wernicke's area, it can kill brain cells, resulting in this type of aphasia. Aphasia affects 25 to 40% of people who have strokes. Other conditions that can affect this area of ​​the brain include head injuries, tumors, infections in this area of ​​the head, or neurological disorders.
There are cases where Wernicke's aphasia can be temporary, this occurs in severe cases of migraines, seizures or other medical conditions.
Diagnosis of this disorder
If you suspect that you may have Wernicke's aphasia, the first thing you should do is go to your doctor to assess your medical situation. Remember that this aphasia is the consequence of having a significant alteration in the brain and depending on the diagnosis, you may need to undergo medical interventions to treat the underlying causes of the aphasia.
Your doctor will need to run tests to determine the cause of your Wernicke's aphasia. This will include brain imaging tests, a CT scan, and other tests the doctor deems necessary. This will allow them to assess whether other parts of your brain are affected and offer you better treatment options to try to alleviate your problem as soon as possible.
A neurological evaluation, including a comprehensive speech and language examination, may be necessary. This is the only way to accurately assess your language difficulty and determine whether it's related to this type of disorder or another condition. These tests will also help the doctor pinpoint your specific receptive and expressive language deficits. The doctor may ask you to follow instructions, answer questions, repeat the names of objects, engage in conversation, and read and write specific texts.
If you are indeed diagnosed with this condition, your doctor will likely refer you to a speech-language pathologist to help you improve your language skills. Going to the pathologist will be something that you should do independently of the rest of the treatments or interventions that you must undergo depending on the underlying cause you have.
What you should keep in mind about this disorder
Wernicke's aphasia can impair language skills, but these may recover over time with appropriate medical intervention. If brain damage has occurred, recovery will be attempted over time ; speech and language intervention is most effective when it begins immediately after the brain injury.
Someone who has profound aphasia will need more medical intervention than someone who has a mild diagnosis. You may need therapy to improve your language skills and you may also learn new communication strategies and skills to use in your daily life, both with your family and friends. This way you can improve communication with others and promote a better quality of life.