What Causes Wernicke's Aphasia?

Wernicke’s aphasia is a neurological condition that makes it difficult for a patient to understand written or spoken language. The name comes from the scientist Carl Wernicke, who is credited with finding the region of the brain that controls the comprehension of language. Patients with this kind of aphasia show many language issues. They may speak at an average pace and rhythm while using combinations of words that make no sense. They may lose the names for ordinary objects, using several strategies to make up for the deficit including substituting a related word, substituting a nonsense word, or talking about the object until someone else offers the lost name. There are several common causes of Wernicke’s aphasia. Learn about them now.

Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders are a common cause of Wernicke’s aphasia, especially degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although each disorder affects the brain differently, all of them lead to degeneration of brain function and the destruction of neurons. When the disease damages the Wernicke’s area on the left side of the brain, it will lead to Wernicke’s aphasia. Because these disorders are progressive, the initial symptoms may be small mistakes in diction often seen as a slip of the tongue. The symptoms will get worse over time as the disease progresses, and the patient will eventually lose the ability to understand language at all. Until treatments improve, the damage done by these diseases is permanent.

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