Broca Aphasia

Excerpt

Aphasia is a term used to describe a disturbance in the ability to use symbols (written or spoken) to communicate information and is categorized into two types: expressive aphasia or receptive aphasia. These two types of aphasia can occur together. This article discusses Broca aphasia (also called expressive aphasia). Broca aphasia was first described by the French physician Pierre Paul Broca in 1861. A mild form of this condition is termed dysphasia. Aphasia/dysphasia should be distinguished from dysarthria which results from impaired articulation. Dysarthria, as opposed to aphasia, is a motor dysfunction due to disrupted innervation to the face, tongue, or soft palate that results in slurred speech but intact fluency and comprehension. Aphasia is typically considered a cortical sign. Its presence suggests dysfunction of the dominant cerebral cortex.