Wernicke’s Area

Wernicke’s Area

Region of the brain responsible for understanding spoken and written language.

Location

Posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere (usually the left temporal lobe).

Brodmann Area

Primarily corresponds to Brodmann area 22.

Extended Wernicke’s Region

Also includes parts of Brodmann areas 39 (angular gyrus) and 40 (supramarginal gyrus) for reading and writing comprehension.

Associated Lobes

At the junction of the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes — integrates auditory, visual, and sensory input for understanding language.

Blood Supply

Supplied by the inferior division of the Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA).

Function

Processes and interprets the meaning of spoken, written, or signed language; allows recognition of words and sentence structure.

Connections

Connected to Broca’s area via the arcuate fasciculus; also linked with primary auditory cortex (areas 41 and 42), angular gyrus, and visual association areas.

Damage Effect

Results in Wernicke’s aphasia, also known as fluent or receptive aphasia.

Wernicke’s Aphasia Characteristics

Fluent but nonsensical speech (word salad); impaired comprehension; poor repetition; frequent paraphasias and neologisms; unawareness of deficits.

Comprehension Ability

Severely impaired; patients cannot understand spoken or written language.

Repetition Ability

Poor; patients are unable to repeat phrases accurately.

Speech Example

“Yes, it’s a very, um, you know, I think it’s just one of those things that you know what I mean…” — fluent but meaningless.

Awareness of Deficit

Usually absent (anosognosia); patients often believe they are speaking normally.

Associated Symptoms

May include right superior quadrantanopia (visual field loss) but usually no motor weakness.

Common Causes

Ischemic stroke (left MCA inferior division), traumatic brain injury, tumor, encephalitis, or neurodegenerative disease.

Diagnosis

Neurological exam, brain imaging (CT/MRI), and language assessment by a speech-language pathologist.

Treatment

Speech and language therapy, comprehension retraining, compensatory communication strategies, and family education.

Additional Therapies

Music therapy or melodic intonation therapy may help activate alternate pathways for speech comprehension.

Prognosis

Variable; comprehension deficits may persist but communication can improve with therapy, especially in younger patients.

Historical Note

Named after Carl Wernicke, who described it in 1874 after observing patients who spoke fluently but made no sense and could not understand speech.

Clinical Tip

Damage to both Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas (or the arcuate fasciculus) results in global aphasia, with severe impairment in both comprehension and speech production.