Language disorders

What is aphasia?

A language disorder affecting comprehension and/or production; it is not simply a problem controlling speech muscles.

What is anomia?

Difficulty finding or producing the names of objects or concepts.

How does dysarthria differ from speech apraxia?

Dysarthria: impaired control of speech muscles. Apraxia: impaired planning and coordination of speech movements.

What are the main signs of Broca's aphasia?

Slow, effortful, nonfluent, telegraphic speech with grammatical difficulties; naming may also be impaired.

Can people with Broca's aphasia have comprehension problems?

Yes. Complex sentences that depend on grammatical structure can be difficult to understand.

What are the main signs of Wernicke's aphasia?

Fluent speech with normal prosody but often little meaning, alongside impaired word and sentence comprehension.

What distinguishes conduction aphasia?

Speech and comprehension are relatively preserved, but repetition is markedly impaired; correcting speech errors is difficult.

Which white-matter pathway is classically associated with conduction aphasia?

The arcuate fasciculus, which connects language regions in the frontal and temporal lobes.

Why is it inaccurate to link Broca's or Wernicke's aphasia to one small cortical area only?

The syndromes often involve damage extending into nearby cortex, deeper structures, or white-matter connections.

What language-related difficulties occurred in the KE family?

Developmental speech apraxia, along with difficulties in grammar and morphology, associated with an FOXP2 mutation.

Is FOXP2 a uniquely human 'language gene'?

No. It occurs in many vertebrates; its evolutionary role in human speech and language remains debated.

A patient says 'boy… go… school' with great effort. Which aphasia is most likely?

Broca's aphasia: nonfluent, telegraphic speech.

A patient speaks in fluent but nonsensical sentences and cannot understand simple words. Which aphasia?

Wernicke's aphasia: fluent but impaired comprehension.

A patient understands speech and talks fairly fluently but cannot repeat phrases. Which aphasia?

Conduction aphasia: disproportionate difficulty with repetition.