Introduction
Stroke is a sudden circulatory disorder in the brain that causes the death of nerve cells in this region. There are several causes for a stroke. The most common one is the blockage of a vessel by a clot, which can occur, for example, due to cardiac arrhythmia or arteriosclerosis.
Bleeding can also lead to the destruction of nerve cells. Typically, unilateral paralysis with numbness occurs, but the symptoms can vary greatly depending on the location of the stroke. If the stroke affects the left half of the brain, the speech center may also be damaged and cause a speech disorder.
Symptoms of a stroke of the language center
Basically, one can distinguish between two speech centers: the Broca’s area (frontal lobe) and the Wernicke’s area (temporal lobe). These speech centers are usually located in the left half of the brain. In left-handed people, however, they can also be located in the right half.
If a stroke occurs in the Broca’s area, the patient develops a speech disorder (motor aphasia). This means that the affected person can no longer speak or can only speak with great difficulty. The understanding of speech is retained, so everything that others say is understood.
However, the patient does not manage to speak himself or only very slowly and telegraphically. If the Wernicke area is affected by the stroke, a speech disorder (sensory aphasia) develops. The affected person can speak without any problems, but the content does not make sense.
Words are often repeated or reinvented. A further speech disorder is anamnestic aphasia, in which word finding disorders occur. Patients often search for words or describe them.
However, they can speak fluently and understand everything without any problems. The worst form of speech disorder is when both the Broca’s and Wernicke’s area are affected (global aphasia). In this case the affected persons can neither speak nor understand. Communication is therefore extremely limited.
- Test for the symptoms of a stroke – I can test this myself
- Symptoms of a circulatory disorder in the brain
