Broca Aphasia

Excerpt

Aphasia is a term used to describe a disturbance in the ability to use symbols (written or spoken) to communicate information. It is categorized into 2 types: expressive aphasia and receptive aphasia. These 2 types of aphasia can occur together. This topic 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, resulting in slurred speech but intact fluency and comprehension. Aphasia is typically considered a cortical sign. Its presence suggests dysfunction of the dominant cerebral cortex.