APHASIA

The term APHASIA has been derived from the Greek word APHATOS which means speechless. This is a loss of the ability to produce language due to injury to some brain areas specialized for this functions.
TYPES OF APHASIA : BROCAS APHASIA WERNICKES APHASIA TRANSCORTICAL SENSORY APHASIA CONDUCTION APHASIA ANOMIC APHASIA TRANSCORTICAL MOTOR APHASIA GLOBAL APHASIA TRANSCORTICAL MIXED APHASIA SUBCORTICAL APHASIA

EXPRESSIVE APHASIA

EXPRESSIVE APHASIA which is known as BROCAS APHASIA IN Clinical Neuropsychlogy and AGRAMMATIC APHASIA IN Cognitive Neuropsychology is an aphasia caused by damage to the anterior regions of the brain including to the left inferior frontal region known as BROCAS AREA. The lesion that causes Brocas Aphasia affects the third frontal convolution (both the Gyrus and the Sulcus) of the left frontal lobe which is known as Brocas Area.According to Brookshire it makes up the lower part of the Pre Motor Cortex. The damage often extends down into the white matter and in some cases extends posteriorly to the most inferior part of the motor strip.

FOUNDER OF EXPRESSIVE APHASIA

PAUL BROCA (1824-1880) was a French Surgeon and Anatomist. He was the first individual to substantiate the brain that damages to the specific area of the brain which results in a speech deficit. In 1861 Broca showed that his patient Leborgne who is nicknamed Tan has got a damage in the Posterior inferior part of the frontal lobe in the Left Cerebral Hemisphere. Brocas patient Leborgne had been hospitalized for twenty one years when he died at the age of fifty seven. The initial reason for his hospitalization was that he was almost mute his only verbal output consisted of the syllable tan and he became known as Tan in the hospital. Despite of this problem he functioned independently at the hospital.

causes

The most common cause of Expressive Aphasia is Stroke. A stroke is caused by hypo perfusion (lack of oxygen ) to an area of the brain, which is commonly caused by thrombosis or embolism . In most cases, Expressive Aphasia is caused by a stroke in Brocas Area or the sorrounding vicinity. However cases of Expressive Aphasia have been seen in patients with stroke in other areas of the brain. Expressive Aphasia can also be caused by trauma to the brain, Cerebral haemorrhage by extra dural hematoma. In the past it has been believed that the area for language production differs between left and right handed individuals. Damage to the homologous region of Brocas Area in the right hemisphere should cause Aphasia in a left handed individuals .More recent studies have shown that even left handed individuals typically have language functions only in the left hemisphere. However,left handed individuals are more likely to have a dominance of language in the right hemisphere.

SYMPTOMS
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The main symptoms of Expressive Aphasia include : Trouble speaking Struggling with finding the appropriate term or word Using strange or inappropriate words in conversation Some persons may have problems understanding written material and difficulties with hand writing. Some people have trouble using numbers or even doing simple calculations.

TREATMENTS
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The following treatments are currently being studied to determine the best possible method for treating Expressive Aphasia :Singing and Melodic Intonation Therapy Pharmacotherapy Transcranial Magnetic stimulation Mechanisms of recovery Prognosis Treatment for someone with Aphasia also depends on factors such as

AGE Cause of Brain Injury Types of Aphasia Position and size of Brain Lesion