Broca's Area vs Wernicke's Area

Brocas Area location

Frontal Lobe in the Left Hemisphere

Wernickes Area location

Temporal Lobe in the Left Hemisphere

How does speaking occur (3 steps)

1. We formulate what we are going to say in Wernicke's area.

2. We then transmit our plan of speech to Broca's area.

3. The plan of speech is carried out via the motor cortex

Broca's Area Function

Coordinates the movements required for speech. It is crucial in the production of articulate speech which means it is clear and fluent.

Broca's Area Damaged

They know what they want to say (because Wernicke's area is involved in the plan of what they are going to say) but they have are slow because they have trouble getting it out. They would NOT have trouble comprehending sentences of others, even if it is complex because that is the Wernicke's area's job.

Wernicke's Area Function

It has a crucial role in the comprehension of speech, more specifically, interpreting the sounds of human speech (compared to other noise like closing a zip).

Wernicke's Area Damaged

If damaged, the words they speak are fluent but it is not coherent speak, as in, it doesn't make any sense. Eg. "Park table I pencil dog easy". The rate at which they speak is normal but they don't make sense.

When have difficulty understanding language, spoken or written.

Broca's damaged: an example of speech, speech pattern, if speech is meaningful or not, if the victim is aware of their disability

"Catch train home now"

Speech requires effort and speech is slow and drawn out

Speech is meaningful

Victims are aware

Wernicke's damaged: an example of speech, speech pattern, meaningful speech, victim awareness

"I called mother on the TV and did not understand the door"

Fluent speech

Sentences are largely incoherent and poorly sequenced

Victims are generally unaware