Reprinted from:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
What is Aphasia?
Aphasia is a neurological
disorder caused by damage to the portions of the brain that are responsible for
language. Primary signs of the disorder include difficulty in expressing
oneself when speaking, trouble understanding speech, and difficulty with
reading and writing. Aphasia is not a disease, but a symptom of brain damage.
Most commonly seen in adults who have suffered a stroke, aphasia can also
result from a brain tumor, infection, head injury, or dementia that damages the
brain. It is estimated that about 1 million people in the
Generally, aphasia can be divided into four broad categories: (1) Expressive
aphasia involves difficulty in conveying thoughts through speech or
writing. The patient knows what he wants to say, but cannot find the words he needs.
(2) Receptive aphasia involves difficulty understanding spoken or
written language. The patient hears the voice or sees the print but cannot make
sense of the words. (3) Patients with anomic or amnesia aphasia,
the least severe form of aphasia, have difficulty in using the correct names
for particular objects, people, places, or events. (4) Global aphasia results
from severe and extensive damage to the language areas of the brain. Patients
lose almost all language function, both comprehension and expression. They
cannot speak or understand speech, nor can they read or write.
Is there any treatment?
In some instances, an individual will completely recover from aphasia
without treatment. In most cases, however, language therapy should begin as
soon as possible and be tailored to the individual needs of the patient.
Rehabilitation with a speech pathologist involves extensive exercises in which
patients read, write, follow directions, and repeat what they hear.
Computer-aided therapy may supplement standard language therapy.
What is the prognosis?
The outcome of aphasia is difficult to predict given the wide range of
variability of the condition. Generally, people who are younger or have less
extensive brain damage fare better. The location of the injury is also
important and is another clue to prognosis. In general, patients tend to
recover skills in language comprehension more completely than those skills
involving expression.
What research is being done?
The NINDS
and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
conduct and support a broad range of scientific investigations to increase our
understanding of aphasia, find better treatments, and discover improved methods
to restore lost function to people who have aphasia.