What is the Difference Between Broca’s Aphasia and Wernicke’s Aphasia

The key difference between Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia is that Broca’s aphasia is caused by damage to the frontal lobe of the brain, while Wernicke’s aphasia is caused by damage to the temporal lobe of the brain.

Generally, errors in lexical processing are common in language pathologies due to brain injury or disease. Therefore, lexicon disorders are characterized by inconsistent lexical access. Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia are two distinct types of lexicon disorders. They usually arise due to damage to specific areas of the brain. These conditions affect the production and comprehension of the lexicon. However, they manifest in different ways.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Broca’s Aphasia
3. What is Wernicke’s Aphasia
4. Similarities – Broca’s Aphasia and Wernicke’s Aphasia
5. Broca’s Aphasia vs. Wernicke’s Aphasia in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Broca’s Aphasia and Wernicke’s Aphasia
7. Summary – Broca’s Aphasia vs. Wernicke’s Aphasia

What is Broca’s Aphasia?

Broca’s aphasia is a type of aphasia that results from damage to a part of the brain called Broca’s region in the frontal lobe. The symptoms of this condition are poor grammar, difficulty forming complete sentences, omitting certain words (an, and, is, etc.), more difficulty using verbs than nouns correctly, difficulty articulating sounds and words, difficulty repeating what has been said by others, trouble with writing sentences, difficulty reading, problems with full comprehension, difficulty following directions and frustration. Broca’s aphasia can be caused by stroke, brain tumor, injury to the brain, infections in the brain, and progressive neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Broca’s aphasia can be diagnosed through medical evaluation, language comprehension test, MRI, and CT scan. Furthermore, treatment options for Broca’s aphasia may include speech therapy, language therapy, and referral to a support group, book club, or another type of social setting with other people who are going through the same experience.

What is Wernicke’s Aphasia?

Wernicke’s aphasia is a type of aphasia that occurs due to damage to a part of the brain called Wernicke’s region in the left middle side or temporal region. The symptoms of this condition may include saying many words that make no sense, being unable to understand the meaning of words, speaking well in long sentences that do not make sense, using the wrong words or nonsense words, being unable to understand written words, experiencing trouble writing, and feeling frustration. Wernicke’s aphasia is caused by the loss of blood flow to the brain or other brain damage resulting from stroke, encephalitis, head injury, and brain infection.

Wernicke’s aphasia can be diagnosed through medical history and language comprehension tests. Furthermore, treatment options for Wernicke’s aphasia may include speech therapy, using speech devices, and caregiving.

What are the Similarities Between Broca’s Aphasia and Wernicke’s Aphasia?

• Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia are two distinct types of lexicon disorders.
• Language comprehension problems characterize both conditions.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through medical evaluation and language comprehension tests.
• They can be treated through speech therapy.

What is the Difference Between Broca’s Aphasia and Wernicke’s Aphasia?

Broca’s aphasia is caused by damage to the frontal lobe of the brain, while Wernicke’s aphasia is caused by damage to the temporal lobe of the brain. Thus, this is the key difference between Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia. Moreover, Broca’s aphasia leaves people with limited language, whereas Wernicke’s aphasia causes people to speak in a jumbled manner.

The infographic below presents the differences between Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

FAQ: Broca’s Aphasia and Wernicke’s Aphasia

What happens if Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are damaged?

If both Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are damaged, global aphasia can occur, affecting all aspects of speech and language.

Where is Wernicke’s area?

Wernicke’s area is in the Brodmann area 22, the posterior segment of the superior temporal gyrus in the dominant hemisphere.

What is the role of Broca’s area?

Broca’s area helps in planning the process of speech by interacting with the temporal cortex, where sensory information is processed, and the motor cortex, which controls movements of the mouth.

Summary – Broca’s Aphasia vs. Wernicke’s Aphasia

Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia are two distinct types of lexicon disorders. Broca’s aphasia is a type of aphasia that results from the damage to a part of the brain called Broca’s region in the frontal lobe, while Wernicke’s aphasia is a type of aphasia that results due to the damage to a part of the brain called Wernicke’s region in the left middle side or temporal region in the brain. Moreover, Broca’s aphasia leaves people with limited language, whereas Wernicke’s aphasia causes people to speak in a jumbled manner. So, this summarizes the difference between Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia.

Reference:

1. Jose Vega. “Living with Broca’s Aphasia.” Verywell Health, Verywell Health.
2.“Wernicke’s (Receptive) Aphasia.” The National Aphasia Association.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Broca’s Area vs. Wernicke’s Area” By Pricdk85 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Wernicke’s Area Animation” By Polygon data were generated by Database Center for Life Science(DBCLS)[2]. – Polygon data are from BodyParts3D[1] (CC BY-SA 2.1 jp) via Commons Wikimedia