Exam

Aphasia

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Aphasia, Receptive Aphasia, Expressive Aphasia, Broca Aphasia, Nonfluent Aphasia, Wernicke's Aphasia

  • See Also
  1. Speech Exam (includes Dysarthria)
  2. Mental Status Exam
  • Pathophysiology
  1. Images
    1. neuroBrodmannMedial.png
    2. neuroBrodmannLateral.png
  2. Results from CNS Disease affecting the dominant hemisphere
    1. In contrast, lesions in similar areas of the non-dominant hemisphere result in visual or auditory inattention
  3. Broca's Speech Area (Brodmann Area 44 and 45)
    1. Lesions in this region of the dominant hemisphere result in Expressive Aphasia
  4. Wernicke's Area (Brodmann Area 22)
    1. Lesions in this region of the dominant hemisphere result in Receptive Aphasia of spoken word
  5. Angular Gyrus (Brodmann Area 39)
    1. Lesions in this area of the dominant hemisphere affect reading (alexia) and writing (agraphia)
  • Definitions
  1. Aphasia
    1. Communication disorder with impaired expression or comprehension of verbal and written language
  2. Expressive Aphasia (Broca Aphasia, Nonfluent Aphasia)
    1. Defect in expressing speech, writing or signs
  3. Receptive Aphasia (Wernicke's Aphasia)
    1. Defect in understanding speech or written word
  • Testing
  1. Naming, fluency, follow commands
    1. Vocabulary
    2. Wrong words or poor grammar used?
  2. Repeating words
    1. No ifs, ands, or buts
    2. Thing
    3. It
  3. Observe for repetition
    1. Circumlocutory
    2. Echolalia
    3. Palilalia
  • References
  1. Goldberg (2014) Clinical Physiology, Medmasters, Miami, p. 106-7