Wernicke’s Aphasia - Everything You Need to Know

Introduction

Wernicke's aphasia is a condition of the brain that causes problems with communication skills, especially the speech of the affected person. The person affected by this condition finds it difficult to form a sentence or understand others’ speech. This is the most common type of aphasia, which occurs due to damage to the left middle side of the brain. This condition is treatable, and speech therapy helps.

What Is Meant by Wernick’s Aphasia?

Wernicke's aphasia is also called receptive aphasia. This condition is caused when the part of the brain called the Wernicke's area is damaged or altered. This region of the brain regulates language. This condition is also known as sensory aphasia or fluent aphasia. An important characteristic of Wernick’s aphasia is that the affected person cannot understand words, they speak with proper grammar but the words do not make any sense.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Wernicke’s Aphasia?

The most common symptoms are:

• The person combines words together to form a sentence that does not make any sense or meaning.

• The affected people are unaware of the mistakes they make while speaking.

• They deliver words in a melodic way, even though what they speak does not make any sense.

• Normally articulate the words.

• Find it difficult to repeat phrases.

• The affected person adds words while trying to repeat someone.

• Speak rapidly.

• Trouble writing.

• Frustration.

Other people find it difficult to interpret the content spoken by the person affected by Wernicke's aphasia because of the periphrastic phrase. These errors are caused when the person replaces a word or sound with some other word or sound. People affected by Wernicke’s aphasia will not realize the fact that they are not making any sense through their talking.

Problems with spoken language will not be carried over to other aspects of the brain. People with this condition may:

• Experience many reading and writing impairments.

• Affected people may understand visual material way better than written and spoken words.

• Control cognitive ability other than language.

What Are the Causes of This Condition?

• The main cause of Wernicke’s aphasia is due to damage to the left side of the brain. Stroke can also be a significant cause of Wernicke’s aphasia as it impairs the blood flow to the brain. If the blood supply to the Wernicke’s region is interrupted, it leads to the killing of the brain cells resulting in this form of aphasia. People who experience a stroke will be affected by Wernicke’s aphasia.

• Other Causes That May Affect This Part of the Brain Is:

  • Head trauma.

  • Tumors.

  • Infections.

  • Neurological disorders.

It is also possible for a person to experience aphasia that comes and goes. This type of aphasia can be caused by migraine, seizures, or other medical conditions.

How Is Wernicke’s Aphasia Diagnosed?

• The person should consult a doctor if they suspect having Wernicke’s aphasia or any other form of aphasia. This condition may cause a significant change in the brain. Based on the diagnosis, they need to undergo medical interventions to rule out the underlying cause of aphasia.

• The doctors recommend tests to determine the cause of aphasia, which include brain imaging tests like MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computed tomography). This also helps to determine any other problems present in the brain. Doctors recommend a neurological and comprehensive speech and language examination for those diagnosed with Wernicke’s aphasia. These tests help doctors to determine the person’s receptive and expressive language deficits.

• Some Tests May Include:

  • Asking the affected person to perform certain commands.

  • Asking a question for the person to answer.

  • Asking the person to name or repeat the object.

  • Asking the person to engage in conversation.

  • Testing the person’s reading and writing ability.

How Is Wernicke’s Aphasia Treated?

There is no standard treatment for Wernicke’s aphasia, the doctor may suggest other treatments or therapies.

• Treating Other Causes:

If the person is affected by some other infection, treating that specific infection may help. The treatment depends on the underlying cause.

• Speech Therapy:

This is an important treatment for Wernicke’s aphasia. The main aim of speech therapy is to help the person gain better use of language ability and enhance communication in various different ways.

• Speech Devices:

Technology that includes pictures and speech can help to communicate. This does not help to enhance language skills, but it is an alternative way to express oneself.

What Is the Difference Between Wernicke’s Aphasia and Broca’s Aplasia?

• Wernicke’s Aphasia: Wernicke’s aphasia also known as receptive aphasia occurs when the region of the brain that regulates language known as Wernicke’s region is damaged. People affected by this condition cannot understand words, but they communicate with normal grammar and rhythm. But the content they speak does not make any sense. Wernicke’s aphasia can also cause issues with reading and writing, and they may hear words but will not be able to understand them.

• Broca’s Aphasia: Broca’s aphasia is a form of expressive aphasia. People affected by Broca’s aphasia have issues saying words but can understand the language and sentences. They have the ability to form ideas and say what they want to, but they find it difficult to form sentences.

• Wernicke’s aphasia allows the person to jumble all the words known as a ‘word salad’ that others find difficult to understand, whereas Broca’s aphasia frame the sentence with limited language. The person affected by Broca’s aphasia utters a single word or very short sentence but others will be able to understand.

How Can This Condition Be Improved?

The caregiver, friends, and family need to implement various ways to communicate with the affected person. A speech therapist can recommend various new ways to the person’s family and friends. Some are:

• Uttering short and simple sentences.

• Asking yes or no questions.

• Implementing natural, adult language.

• Not correcting the speech of the person.

• Using pictures, devices, and points.

• People with the same problem of aphasia should be included.

• Giving a lot more time for people with aphasia to express themselves.

Conclusion

Wernicke’s aphasia is a condition that results in communication and language issues. It is caused due to damage in the Wernicke region in the brain. Some people affected by this condition recover completely without any therapy or treatment. Children under the age of eight recover completely even after severe damage. Most people require speech therapy and mostly recover in three months. Usually, people affected by aphasia take years to improve. This condition is treatable and can be done through speech therapy.