Broca’s Aphasia

1. Broca’sAphasia By Andrew Wedge

2. Important Info • known as Broca’s Aphasia in clinical neuropsychology and agrammatic aphasia in cognitive neuropsychology, Although it is more commonly known as Expressive Aphasia. • According to the National Aphasia Association, approximately 80,000 people acquire aphasia each year from a stroke. About one million people in the US are currently affected by aphasia.

3. How Transmitted • The most common cause of expressive aphasia is stroke. A stroke is caused by lack of oxygen to an area of the brain.

4. Prognosis • In most individuals with expressive aphasia, the majority of recovery is seen within the first year following a stroke or injury. The majority of this improvement is seen in the first four weeks in therapy following a stroke and slows thereafter. When compared to patients with the most common types of aphasia, patients with expressive aphasia tend to show the most improvement within the first year. This may be due to an expressive aphasiac's awareness and greater insight of their impairment which motivates them to progress in treatment. Studies have also found that prognosis of expressive aphasia correlates strongly with the initial severity of impairment. Those with the greatest initial disability tend to show the greatest improvement among test groups

5. Symptoms speech output is severely reduced and is limited mainly to short utterances of less than four words. Vocabulary access is limited and the formation of sounds by persons with Broca's aphasia is often laborious and clumsy. The person may understand speech relatively well and be able to read, but be limited in writing. Broca's aphasia is often referred to as a 'non fluent aphasia' because of the halting and effortful quality of speech.

6. Treatments • Currently, there is no standard treatment for expressive aphasia. Most aphasia therapy is individualized based on a patients condition and needs as assessed by a speech therapist. The majority of patients go through a period of spontaneous recovery following brain injury in which they regain a great deal of language function. In the months following injury or stroke, most patients receive traditional therapy for a few hours per day. Among other exercises, patients practice the repetition of words and phrases.

7. Area of NS affected • It is caused by damage to or developmental issues in anterior regions of the brain, including ,but not limited to, the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus known as Broca’s area.

8. Who is usually affected by disease • Most people Aphasia are middle aged or older, but children can also acquire aphasia. Men and women are equally affected.

9. 2 websites found info • Wikipedia • www.aphasia.org