Wernicke's aphasia

aphasia /apha·sia/ (ah-fa´zhah) defect or loss of the power of expression by speech, writing, or signs, or of comprehending spoken or written language, due to injury or disease of the brain centers. See also agrammatism, dysphasia, and paraphasia. apha´sic

---

amnesic aphasia , amnestic aphasia defective recall of specific names of objects or other words, with intact abilities of comprehension and repetition.

anomic aphasia  that in which recall of names is faulty.

auditory aphasia  a form of receptive aphasia in which sounds are heard but convey no meaning to the mind, due to disease of the auditory center of the brain.

Broca's aphasia  motor a.

conduction aphasia  aphasia believed to be due to a lesion of the path between sensory and motor speech centers; spoken language is comprehended normally but words cannot be repeated correctly.

expressive aphasia  motor a.

fluent aphasia  a type of receptive aphasia in which speech is well articulated and grammatically correct but is lacking in content.

global aphasia  total aphasia involving all the functions which go to make up speech or communication.

jargon aphasia  that with utterance of meaningless phrases, either neologisms or incoherently arranged known words.

mixed aphasia  global a.

motor aphasia  Broca's or nonfluent aphasia; that in which the ability to speak and write is impaired, due to a lesion in the insula and surrounding operculum.

nominal aphasia  anomic a.

nonfluent aphasia  motor a.

receptive aphasia  inability to understand written, spoken, or tactile speech symbols, due to disease of the auditory and visual word centers.

sensory aphasia  receptive a.

total aphasia  global a.

visual aphasia  alexia.

Wernicke's aphasia  receptive a.

---

Wernicke's aphasia

A condition characterized by either partial or total loss of the ability to understand what is being said or read. The individual maintains the ability to speak, but speech may contain unnecessary or made-up words.

Mentioned in: Aphasia

---

Wernicke's aphasia

[ver′nikēz]

Etymology: Karl Wernicke, German neurologist, 1848-1905

a form of aphasia affecting comprehension of written and spoken words, possibly caused by a lesion in Wernicke's center. The patient may articulate normally, but speech is incoherent, with malformed or substitute words and grammatical errors. Compare Broca's aphasia.

---

aphasia [ah-fa´zhah]

a type of speech disorder consisting of a defect or loss of the power of expression by speech, writing, or signs, or of comprehension of spoken or written language, due to disease or injury of the brain centers, such as after stroke syndrome on the left side.

Patient Care. Aphasia is a complex phenomenon manifested in numerous ways. The recovery period is often very long, even months or years. Because communication is such a vital part of everyday living, loss of the ability to communicate with words, whether in speaking or writing, can profoundly affect the personality and behavior of a patient. Although aphasic persons usually require extensive treatment by specially trained speech patholigists or therapists, all persons concerned with the care of the patient should practice techniques that will help minimize frustration and improve communication with such patients.

amnestic aphasia anomic aphasia.

anomic aphasia inability to name objects, qualities, or conditions. Called also amnestic or nominal aphasia.

ataxic aphasia expressive aphasia.

auditory aphasia loss of ability to comprehend spoken language. Called also word deafness.

Broca's aphasia motor aphasia.

conduction aphasia aphasia due to a lesion of the pathway between the sensory and motor speech centers.

expressive aphasia motor aphasia.

fluent aphasia that in which speech is well articulated (usually 200 or more words per minute) and grammatically correct but is lacking in content and meaning.

global aphasia total aphasia involving all the functions that go to make up speech and communication.

jargon aphasia that with utterance of meaningless phrases, either neologisms or incoherently arranged known words.

mixed aphasia combined expressive and receptive aphasia.

motor aphasia aphasia in which there is impairment of the ability to speak and write, owing to a lesion in the insula and surrounding operculum including Broca's motor speech area. The patient understands written and spoken words but has difficulty uttering the words. See also receptive aphasia. Called also logaphasia and Broca's, expressive, or nonfluent aphasia.

nominal aphasia anomic aphasia.

nonfluent aphasia motor aphasia.

receptive aphasia inability to understand written, spoken, or tactile speech symbols, due to disease of the auditory and visual word centers, as in word blindness. See also motor aphasia. Called also logamnesia and sensory or Wernicke's aphasia.

sensory aphasia receptive aphasia.

visual aphasia alexia.

Wernicke's aphasia receptive aphasia.

---

Wernicke's aphasia

Neurology Loss of ability to comprehend language, and production of inappropriate language