Aphasia After A Stroke

When the bursting of a blood vessel or blockage causes an interruption in the blood flow to the brain and a patient experiences a stroke, sometimes this damages portions within the left hemisphere of the brain that are responsible for controlling language.

This condition is called aphasia which is a language disorder that impairs the ability to express and comprehend language as well as read or write. This condition can also co-exist with a speech disorder such as apraxia or dysarthria of speech. 

In some cases this condition is only temporary and the patient will recover within a few hours or a few days without treatment, however, in the majority of cases recovery will not be as quick and the patient may not fully recover all the language skills that were lost. 

The Three Main Types of Aphasia 

There are three main types of aphasia that are categorized by the type of language impairment that has occured. "Broca's aphasia" is the type of aphasia that occurs when damage occurs within the area of the frontal lobe portion of the brain.

Individuals with Broca's aphasia have a hard time with long sentences and will speak using shorter sentences - typically less than four words - often omitting the smaller words such as "and"," the", or "is".

The individual may be capable of understanding speech and reading well, but may have difficulty when it comes to writing. These patients will typically have a weakness or paralysis of their arm and leg on right side due to the fact that the frontal lobe also plays an essential role in body movement.   

Wernicke's Aphasia 

Wernicke's aphasia also occurs when damage is done to the frontal lobe of the brain; however, unlike Broca's aphasia the individual will speak in longer sentences but they may be incomprehensible as they will often add words that are unnecessary or create new words.

These patients typically have great difficulty when it comes to understanding speech and, therefore, generally have no knowledge of their mistakes when speaking. These individuals typically do not experience body weakness or paralysis as the portion of the frontal lobe that is damaged does not control body movement. 

Global Aphasia 

Global aphasia is a more serious form of aphasia as the damage that has occurred to the portions of the brain that control language is extensive. These individuals typically have severe difficulty when it comes to speaking or communication and are unable to understand language or read and write.  When it comes to the treatment of aphasia, some patients will recover many of their language skills over a period of time, however, some aphasia will typically remain.

Treatment for aphasia can be done with speech and language therapy and will generally continue for at least two years. Several factors play a roll in the percentage of language skills that an individual will recover including, motivation, education level, age, and overall health.