Aphasia and Dysphasia
Aphasia and Dysphasia
Aphasia and Dysphasia
APHASIA
Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that
are responsible for language.
It can affect your speech, writing, and ability to understand language.
Aphasia gets in the way of a person's ability to communicate, but it doesn't
impair intelligence.
People who have aphasia may have a hard time speaking and finding the
"right" words to complete their thoughts.
They may also have problems understanding conversation, reading and
comprehending written words, writing words, and using numbers.
People with aphasia may also repeat words or phrases.
Aphasia is a language disorder. It happens when you injure parts of the
brain that relate to language.
The language areas of the brain span regions of the frontal lobe, the
temporal lobe, and the parietal lobe.
SYMPTOMS:
With mild aphasia, the person may be able to converse, yet have trouble
finding the right word or understanding complex conversations.
Serious aphasia makes the person less able to communicate. The person
may say little and may not take part in or understand any conversation.
Aphasia does not affect thinking skills. But the person may have problems
understanding written material and a hard time with handwriting. Some
people have trouble using numbers or even doing simple calculations.
TYPES:
Broca's aphasia
Wernicke's aphasia
Anomic aphasia
Global aphasia
Primary Progressive Aphasia
BROCA'S APHASIA:
Speaking isn't difficult; in fact, the words pour out of the mouth with ease.
The problem is that the person isn't forming coherent words, or those
words aren't coming together into coherent sentences.
Wernicke's aphasia also affects reading and writing. Wernicke's aphasia is
sometimes called "fluent aphasia."
For example, when someone experiences Wernicke's aphasia, they may
say: "My door sat through the lamp in the sky." It makes it impossible for
listeners to understand what the person is trying to communicate.
Anomic Aphasia:
People with anomic aphasia can't find the words they want to use, and this
is particularly true when trying to come up with the correct noun or verb.
They get around the missing words by using many other similar words or
filling in the blank spaces with vague fillers like "stuff" or “thing."
People with anomic aphasia understand speech and they can usually read,
but you see the same difficulties in finding the right word in their writing.
EXAMPLE: Individuals with aphasia who display anomia can often describe
an object in detail and maybe even use hand gestures to demonstrate how
the object is used, but cannot find the appropriate word to name the
object.
Global Aphasia
This is the most severe form of aphasia. People with global aphasia cannot
speak many words and sometimes don't understand speech.
They cannot read or write.
People may have global aphasia for a short period of time following a brain
injury or stroke, and then move into a different type of aphasia as their
brain health begins to improve.
People with global aphasia may only say a few words, such as "no" or "hey"
or "what"
Etiology
The areas of the brain necessary for processing language: Broca's area,
Wernicke's area, the primary motor cortex, the posterior middle temporal
gyrus, and the middle and posterior superior temporal gyrus.
Language function is located on one hemisphere (half) of the brain, which is
called the dominant hemisphere. Typically, the dominant hemisphere of
the brain is on the side opposite the dominant hand (the hand you write
with).
Aphasia can occur as a result of any injury to the brain, such as a stroke,
traumatic brain injury, a brain tumor, or an infection of the brain. Because
of the way the blood vessels are arranged in the brain.
Aphasia is caused by damage to the language-dominant side of the brain,
usually the left side, and may be brought on by:
A brain tumor: A brain tumor is a collection, or mass, of abnormal cells in
our brain. Your skull, which encloses your brain, is very rigid. Any growth
inside such a restricted space can cause problems
An infection: Brain infections can cause aphasia if the infection or swelling
impacts the brain's language centers. Aphasia due to brain infection is often
short-term and gets better when the infection is cleared. However, if the
infection is severe, long-term aphasia can result.
Dementia or another neurological disorder
A degenerative disease
A head injury: Damage to the temporal lobe (the side portion) of the brain
may result in a fluent aphasia called Wernicke's aphasia. In most people,
the damage occurs in the left temporal lobe, although it can result from
damage to the right lobe as well.
A stroke: A stroke occurs when a blood clot or a leaking or burst vessel cuts
off blood flow to part of the brain. Brain cells die when they do not receive
their normal supply of blood, which carries oxygen and important nutrients.
Strokes are the most common cause of aphasia.
DYSPHASIA
Dysphasia is a language disorder that affects the ability to produce and
understand spoken language. It can cause reading, writing, speech and
gesturing problems.
Symptoms
TYPES:
Expressive dysphasia:
Receptive dysphasia:
Affects language comprehension. The person can speak fluently, but they
often speak with no meaning and are unaware of their speech errors. It is
caused by damage to the area in the brain responsible for understanding
written and spoken language.
Combined/global dysphasia:
ETIOLOGY
Treatment
If the brain damage is mild, a person may recover language skills without
treatment.
However, most people undergo speech and language therapy to
rehabilitate their language skills and supplement their communication
experiences.
Researchers are currently investigating the use of medications, alone or in
combination with speech therapy, to help people with aphasia.
Some studies have found that therapy is most effective when it begins soon
after the brain injury.
Often works in groups. In a group setting, people with aphasia can try out
their communication skills in a safe environment. Participants can practice
initiating conversations, speaking in turn, clarifying misunderstandings and
fixing conversations that have completely broken down.
May include use of computers. Using computer-assisted therapy can be
especially helpful for relearning verbs and word sounds (phonemes).
Medications
Certain drugs are currently being studied for the treatment of aphasia.
These include drugs that may improve blood flow to the brain, enhance the
brain's recovery ability or help replace depleted chemicals in the brain
(neurotransmitters).
Several medications, such as memantine Namenda and piracetam, have
shown promise in small studies. But more research is needed before these
treatments can be recommended.
Other treatments
Brain stimulation is currently being studied for aphasia treatment and may
help improve the ability to name things.