Receptive aphasia explained

Receptive aphasia
Synonyms:Wernicke's aphasia, fluent aphasia, sensory aphasia

Wernicke's aphasia, also known as receptive aphasia,[1] sensory aphasia, fluent aphasia, or posterior aphasia, is a type of aphasia in which individuals have difficulty understanding written and spoken language.[2] Patients with Wernicke's aphasia demonstrate fluent speech, which is characterized by typical speech rate, intact syntactic abilities and effortless speech output.[3] Writing often reflects speech in that it tends to lack content or meaning. In most cases, motor deficits (i.e. hemiparesis) do not occur in individuals with Wernicke's aphasia.[4] Therefore, they may produce a large amount of speech without much meaning. Individuals with Wernicke's aphasia often suffer of anosognosia – they are unaware of their errors in speech and do not realize their speech may lack meaning.[5] They typically remain unaware of even their most profound language deficits.

Like many acquired language disorders, Wernicke's aphasia can be experienced in many different ways and to many different degrees. Patients diagnosed with Wernicke's aphasia can show severe language comprehension deficits; however, this is dependent on the severity and extent of the lesion. Severity levels may range from being unable to understand even the simplest spoken and/or written information to missing minor details of a conversation. Many diagnosed with Wernicke's aphasia have difficulty with repetition in words and sentences and/or working memory.

Wernicke's aphasia was named after German physician Carl Wernicke, who is credited with discovering the area of the brain responsible for language comprehension (Wernicke's area) and discovery of the condition which results from a lesion to this brain area (Wernicke's aphasia). Although Wernicke's area (left posterior superior temporal cortex) is known as the language comprehension area of the brain, defining the exact region of the brain is a more complicated issue. A 2016 study aimed to determine the reliability of current brain models of the language center of the brain. After asking a group of neuroscientists what portion of the brain they consider to be Wernicke's area, results suggested that the classic "Wernicke-Lichtheim-Geschwind" model is no longer adequate for defining the language areas of the brain. This is because this model was created using an old understanding of human brain anatomy and does not take into consideration the cortical and subcortical structures responsible for language or the connectivity of brain areas necessary for production and comprehension of language. While there is not a well defined area of the brain for language comprehension, Wernicke's aphasia is a known condition causing difficulty with understanding language.[6]

Signs and symptoms

The following are common symptoms seen in patients with Wernicke's aphasia:

Wernicke's Aphasia Symptom Checklist!Symptom!Patients with Wernicke's Aphasia
Comprehension of spoken materialImpaired (can range from mild to severe)
Segmental phonologyImpaired (phonemic paraphasia, neologisms, jargon)
Word selectionImpaired (semantic paraphasia, empty speech)
Word semanticsNormal
Fluency (production of speech)Normal or overly fluent (logorrhea)
Production of writingNormal
Use of function wordsNormal
GrammaticalityNormal or mildly impaired (paragrammatism)
Repetition of what others sayImpaired
Controversial proficiencyNormal
Concern about impairmentLittle to none
Concern about errors in languageLittle to none
Short-term retention and recall of verbal materialsImpaired
Distinction from other types of aphasia/other conditions

Causes

The most common cause of Wernicke's aphasia is stroke. Strokes may occur when blood flow to the brain is completely interrupted or severely reduced. This has a direct effect on the amount of oxygen and nutrients being able to supply the brain, which causes brain cells to die within minutes.[18]

The most common stroke that causes Wernicke's Aphasia is an ischemic stroke affecting the posterior temporal lobe of the dominant hemisphere of the brain.

"The middle cerebral arteries supply blood to the cortical areas involved in speech, language and swallowing. The left middle cerebral artery provides Broca's area, Wernicke's area, Heschl's gyrus, and the angular gyrus with blood".[19] Therefore, in patients with Wernicke's aphasia, there is typically an occlusion to the left middle cerebral artery.

As a result of the occlusion in the left middle cerebral artery, Wernicke's aphasia is most commonly caused by a lesion in the posterior superior temporal gyrus (Wernicke's area). This area is posterior to the primary auditory cortex (PAC) which is responsible for decoding individual speech sounds. Wernicke's primary responsibility is to assign meaning to these speech sounds. The extent of the lesion will determine the severity of the patients deficits related to language. Damage to the surrounding areas (perisylvian region) may also result in Wernicke's aphasia symptoms due to variation in individual neuroanatomical structure and any co-occurring damage in adjacent areas of the brain.

Another common cause of Wernicke's aphasia is encephalitis, specifically around the posterior superior temporal gyrus. Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain, which can be a result of infection, autoimmune disorders, or chronic substance abuse, among others. [20]

Other causes of Wernicke's Aphasia include brain trauma, cerebral tumors, central nervous system (CNS) infections, and degenerative brain disorders.

In the case of brain tumors, infections, or degenerative brain disorders, examples in which damage to the brain can be ongoingly progressive, it is likely that the aphasia will coincidingly progress as well, and symptoms will worsen if the cause is not treated.

Diagnosis

Aphasia is usually first recognized by the physician who treats the person for his or her brain injury. Most individuals will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scan to confirm the presence of a brain injury and to identify its precise location.[21] In circumstances where a person is showing possible signs of aphasia, the physician will refer him or her to a speech-language pathologist (SLP) for a comprehensive speech and language evaluation. SLPs will examine the individual's ability to express him or herself through speech, understand language in written and spoken forms, write independently, and perform socially.

The American Speech, Language, Hearing Association (ASHA) states a comprehensive assessment should be conducted in order to analyze the patient's communication functioning on multiple levels; as well as the effect of possible communication deficits on activities of daily living. Typical components of an aphasia assessment include: case history, self report, oral-motor examination, language skills, identification of environmental and personal factors, and the assessment results. A comprehensive aphasia assessment includes both formal and informal measures.[22]

Formal assessments include:

Informal assessments, which aid in the diagnosis of patients with suspected aphasia, include:[27]

Diagnostic information should be scored and analyzed appropriately. Treatment plans and individual goals should be developed based on diagnostic information, as well as patient and caregiver needs, desires, and priorities.

Treatment

There is currently no standardized treatment for Wernicke's Aphasia, meaning treatment varies from patient to patient depending on the severity of the lesion and the resulting deficits. In some patients, the first step of action is to attempt to treat the possible causes for the aphasia, such as removing a brain tumor, or treating a nervous system infection. This may not lessen the symptoms for the patient as damage to the brain is often already done, but it typically stops the aphasia from worsening. For the majority of patients with any kind of aphasia, speech and language therapy is the primary treatment. This focuses on improving language skills and learning how to communicate in various ways to allow their needs to be met. Since Wernicke's patients face comprehension deficits, they are often unaware of their condition and may pose unique challenges for their treatment because of this lack of awareness or concern for their deficit. Treatment plans are usually devised by a team of healthcare workers including a speech therapist, neuropsychologist, and a neurologist.[28] [29]

According to Bates et al. (2005), "the primary goal of rehabilitation is to prevent complications, minimize impairments, and maximize function". The topics of intensity and timing of intervention are widely debated across various fields.[30] Results are contradictory: some studies indicate better outcomes with early intervention,[31] while other studies indicate starting therapy too early may be detrimental to the patient's recovery.[32] Recent research suggests, that therapy be functional and focus on communication goals that are appropriate for the patient's individual lifestyle.[33]

Specific treatment considerations for working with individuals with Wernicke's aphasia (or those who exhibit deficits in auditory comprehension) include using familiar materials, using shorter and slower utterances when speaking, giving direct instructions, and using repetition as needed.

Role of neuroplasticity in recovery

Neuroplasticity is defined as the brain's ability to reorganize itself, lay new pathways, and rearrange existing ones, as a result of experience.[34] Neuronal changes after damage to the brain such as collateral sprouting, increased activation of the homologous areas, and map extension demonstrate the brain's neuroplastic abilities. According to Thomson, "Portions of the right hemisphere, extended left brain sites, or both have been shown to be recruited to perform language functions after brain damage.[35] All of the neuronal changes recruit areas not originally or directly responsible for large portions of linguistic processing.[36] Principles of neuroplasticity have been proven effective in neurorehabilitation after damage to the brain. These principles include: incorporating multiple modalities into treatment to create stronger neural connections, using stimuli that evoke positive emotion, linking concepts with simultaneous and related presentations, and finding the appropriate intensity and duration of treatment for each individual patient.

Auditory comprehension treatment

Auditory comprehension is a primary focus in treatment for Wernicke's aphasia, as it is the main deficit related to this diagnosis. Therapy activities may include:

Word retrieval

Anomia is consistently seen in aphasia, so many treatment techniques aim to help patients with word finding problems. One example of a semantic approach is referred to as semantic feature analyses. The process includes naming the target object shown in the picture and producing words that are semantically related to the target. Through production of semantically similar features, participants develop more skills in naming stimuli due to the increase in lexical activation.[37]

Restorative therapy approach

Neuroplasticity is a central component to restorative therapy to compensate for brain damage. This approach is especially useful in Wernicke's aphasia patients that have had a stroke to the left brain hemisphere.[38]

Schuell's stimulation approach is a main method in traditional aphasia therapy that follows principles to retrieve function in the auditory modality of language and influence surrounding regions through stimulation. The guidelines to have the most effective stimulation are as follows:Auditory stimulation of language should be intensive and always present when other language modalities are stimulated.[38]

Schuell's stimulation utilizes stimulation through therapy tasks beginning at a simplified task and progressing to become more difficult including:

Social approach to treatment

The social approach involves a collaborative effort on behalf of patients and clinicians to determine goals and outcomes for therapy that could improve the patient's quality of life. A conversational approach is thought to provide opportunities for development and the use of strategies to overcome barriers to communication. The main goals of this treatment method are to improve the patient's conversational confidence and skills in natural contexts using conversational coaching, supported conversations, and partner training.[39]

Additionally, it is important to include the families of patients with aphasia in treatment programs. Clinicians can teach family members how to support one another, and how to adjust their speaking patterns to facilitate their loved one's treatment and rehabilitation.

Speech devices, while not a treatment that can improve a patient's language skills, help the patient communicate with caregivers through the use of pictures or speech.

Clinical trials

More recently, researchers are developing medical treatments for aphasia using clinical trials for pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. Some medications include drugs affecting the catecholaminergic system, nootropic drugs, and medications used to treat Alzheimer's disease. The non-pharmacological approaches include transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct stimulation.

Prognosis

Prognosis is strongly dependent on the location and extent of the lesion (damage) to the brain. Many personal factors also influence how a person will recover, which include age, previous medical history, level of education, gender, and motivation. All of these factors influence the brain's ability to adapt to change, restore previous skills, and learn new skills. It is important to remember that all the presentations of Receptive Aphasia may vary. The presentation of symptoms and prognosis are both dependent on personal components related to the individual's neural organization before the stroke, the extent of the damage, and the influence of environmental and behavioral factors after the damage occurs.[41] The quicker a diagnosis of a stroke is made by a medical team, the more positive the patient's recovery may be. A medical team will work to control the signs and symptoms of the stroke and rehabilitation therapy will begin to manage and recover lost skills. The rehabilitation team may consist of a certified speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and the family or caregivers. The length of therapy will be different for everyone, but research suggests that intense therapy over a short amount of time can improve outcomes of speech and language therapy for patients with aphasia. Research is not suggesting the only way therapy should be administered, but gives insight on how therapy affects the patient's prognosis.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Jeong. JW. Brown. EC. Rothermel. R. Kojima. K. Kambara. T. Shah. A. Mittal. S. Sood. S. Asano. E. 2017. Three- and four-dimensional mapping of speech and language in patients with epilepsy. Brain. 140. 5. 1351–1370. 10.1093/brain/awx051. 28334963. Nakai. Y. 5405238.
  2. Book: Brookshire. Robert. Introduction to neurogenic communication disorders. 2007. Mosby Elsevier. St. Louis, MO. 7th.
  3. Damasio. A.R.. Aphasia. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1992. 326. 8. 531–539. 10.1056/nejm199202203260806. 1732792.
  4. Book: Murdoch. B.E.. Acquired Speech and Language Disorders: A Neuroanatomical and Functional Neurological Approach. registration. 1990. Chapman and Hall. Baltimore, MD. 73–76. 9780412334405 .
  5. Web site: Common Classifications of Aphasia. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  6. Tremblay . Pascale . Dick . Anthony Steven . 2016 . Broca and Wernicke are dead, or moving past the classic model of language neurobiology . Brain and Language . 162 . 60–71 . 10.1016/j.bandl.2016.08.004 . 0093-934X. 20.500.11794/38881 . free .
  7. Book: Devinsky, Orrin . Neurology of cognitive and behavioral disorders . D'Esposito . Mark . 2004 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-513764-4 . Contemporary neurology series . Oxford.
  8. Benson . D. Frank . August 1991 . What's in a Name? . Mayo Clinic Proceedings . en . 66 . 8 . 865–867 . 10.1016/S0025-6196(12)61206-3.
  9. Web site: ASHA Glossary . American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  10. Web site: Wernicke's (Receptive) Aphasia. National Aphasia Association.
  11. Web site: Types of Aphasia. American Stroke Association.
  12. Web site: Aphasia Definitions. National Aphasia Association.
  13. Web site: Acharya . Aninda . Wroten . Michael . 2023 . Wernicke Aphasia . National Library of Medicine.
  14. Web site: What Is Wernicke's Aphasia? . 2023-12-28 . WebMD . en.
  15. Goldstein . Kurt . 1948 . Language and language disturbances . Journal of Clinical Psychology . 5 . 2 . 185–185 . 10.1002/1097-4679(194904)5:2<185::aid-jclp2270050218>3.0.co;2-l . 0021-9762.
  16. Ogar . Jennifer M. . Dronkers . Nina F. . Brambati . Simona M. . Miller . Bruce L. . Gorno-Tempini . Maria Luisa . 2007 . Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia and Its Characteristic Motor Speech Deficits . Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders . 21 . 4 . S23–S30 . 10.1097/wad.0b013e31815d19fe . 0893-0341.
  17. Isenberg-Grzeda . Elie . Kutner . Haley E. . Nicolson . Stephen E. . 2012 . Wernicke-Korsakoff-Syndrome: Under-Recognized and Under-Treated . Psychosomatics . 53 . 6 . 507–516 . 10.1016/j.psym.2012.04.008 . 0033-3182.
  18. Web site: Stroke. 14 December 2020. Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
  19. Web site: McCaffrey. P.. Medical aspects: Blood supply in the brain.
  20. Web site: Encephalitis - Symptoms and causes . 2023-12-29 . Mayo Clinic . en.
  21. Web site: Aphasia. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
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  27. Web site: Assessment Tools, Techniques, and Data Sources. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
  28. Hartwigsen . Gesa . 2015 . The neurophysiology of language: Insights from non-invasive brain stimulation in the healthy human brain . Brain and Language . 148 . 81–94 . 10.1016/j.bandl.2014.10.007 . 0093-934X. free . 11858/00-001M-0000-0028-AADC-A . free .
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