Fancy Neuro-words

Question 1

Aphasia - Def + Causes

Answer 1

= impaired expression + understanding of spoken + written language

• results from a damage to the Language areas
  -> are usually in the left Hemisphere
  (e.g. MCA ischemic stroke)

[Aphasia may co-occur with speech disorders, such as Dysarthria or Apraxia of speech]

Question 2

Aphasia types

Answer 2

1. Motor / Expressive Aphasia = Broca’s Aphasia
2. Receptive/Sensory Aphasia = Wernicke’s Aphasia
3. Conduction Aphasia

Question 3

2) Receptive / Sensory Aphasia

Answer 3

Caused by a lesion in the post. part of the left Hemisphere (-> in most ppl. this is the dominant one) -> Temporal lobe, at or near Wernicke’s area

Results in
- poor comprehension of language, both auditory (“word deafness”) + in reading
- pts talk + write fluently, but their sentences are nonsensical (w/o sense), create new words
-> e.g. Ps say “delicious taco” = “the dog needs to go out, so I will take him for a walk”.

Question 4

1) Motor / Expressive Aphasia

Answer 4

caused by damage of the Motor speech area (in dominant hemisphere)
(-> it may appear to be solely an issue w. language production, but may be rooted in inability to process syntactical informations)

Ps. with Expressive / Motor Aphasia…
- understand language well
- but have impaired language production (words + sentences):
they say/write short, meaningful phrases, which are produced with great effort
-> therefore it is called “nonfluent Aphasia”
(vs. Wernicke’s = fluent)
e.g. “walk dog” for “I will take the dog for a walk”

• Ps may have speech automatisms / recurrent utterance = repeated lexical speech automatisms

Question 5

3) Conduction Aphasia

Answer 5

= Intact expression + comprehension of language, but impaired repetition of simple phrases

caused by a lesion of the Arcuate fasciculus

Question 6

Apraxia

Answer 6

= pt is unable to perform tasks or movements when asked

typically Apraxia stems from damage to the Parietal lobes

Question 7

Ataxia

Question 8

Dysarthria

Question 9

Plegia

Answer 9

= complete loss of voluntary muscle movement or paralysis
It is often caused by severe damage to the nerves or muscles, resulting in inability to move the affected body part

unlike paresis, Plegia is typically permanent

Question 10

Paresis

Answer 10

= partial loss of voluntary muscle movement or weakness

• occurs due to damage or dysfunction in the nerves that control the muscles
• can be temporary or permanent

Question 11

Abulia

Answer 11

-> also known as apathy, psychic akinesia, and athymia
= lack of will, drive, or initiative for action, speech and thought
(related to dysfunctions with the brain’s dopamine-dependent circuitry or stroke)

Question 12

Asthenia

Answer 12

muscle ?? weakness

Question 13

Hyposthenia

Answer 13

weakness
(vs. Asthenia??)