Wernicke's Aphasia- What is it?

Written by: Selina Liu

Have you ever lost your words before? Well, if this happens very often, you should watch out for aphasia.
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Aphasia is the general brain dysfunction of the four aspects of communication- auditory comprehension, verbal expression, reading and writing, and functional communication. Aphasia is the general category of the disorder; if you have a specific part (or several parts) that dysfunctions, the name for the aphasia varies. Today, let us talk about the most common aphasia- Wernicke’s.

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What is Wernicke's aphasia? The definition and meaning behind Wernicke’s
In Wernicke’s aphasia, it’s the inability to understand the meaning of spoken words and sentences. Although it is the most common type of aphasia, studies have shown that it would not influence one’s intelligence. Some may wonder why specifically the name Wernicke’s. This is because the dysfunctional area of the brain in the Wernicke’s aphasia individuals is responsible for processing the meaning of words and spoken language. Such damage includes left posterior temporal regions of the brain, known as Wernicke’s area, hence the name. The cause of the disorder can be neurological and can also be caused because of tumors or head trauma.

How does this affect the brain - perhaps consider the impact it can have on a person’s behavior?
Although people with Wernicke’s aphasia can easily speak at a normal rate, sometimes with more sophisticated words, they may fail to realize that they are using the wrong words or using a non-existent word and often they are not fully aware that what they say doesn’t make sense. For example, the individual may say, "delicious taco", meaning "The dog needs to go out so I will take him for a walk" when there is no correlation between these two phrases.

Symptoms/ signs to look out for

• String words together to make sentences that don’t make sense
• Made-up words that have no meaning
• Deliver words in a normal melodic line, even though the content may not make any sense
• Have difficulty repeating phrases
• Add words when trying to repeat someone
• Interrupt others and speak rapidly
• Prefer visual materials better than written or spoken words
• Maintain cognitive abilities other than those associated with language

How many people in the country/state/globe are affected + Age groups
Over 2 million people in the United States are currently affected by aphasia and over 250,000 people in Great Britain. However, more people have aphasia than have many other common conditions, including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, or muscular dystrophy.
Older individuals have the highest risk of developing aphasia because the danger of stroke increases with age: approximately 75% of all strokes occur in individuals over the age of 65 include documented cases of aphasia as a symptom.

​Are there any potential treatments?
Therapy with friends is encouraged, but mostly medical interventions for the elimination of tumors.

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Author

Bonjour! My name is Selina Liu and I am an incoming engineering freshman in college! As a feminist, a STEM passionate researcher, and an international student that has came to the US since high school, I am excited to keep you updated with some of my life experiences in the US, political issues around the world, feminist projects, and some STEM-related facts! I am also extremely excited to collaborate with any passionate teens about any topics! In my free time, I love photography, skateboarding, graphic designing, and trying out more new things! See you in my updates each week!