Language Flashcards
Speech
-communication through vocalized sounds (phonation) that form spoken words & sentences
Phonation
-distinct sounds produced by larynx
Phoneme
-distinct sound that contrasts with others
Dysphonia
-disturbance of phonation causing alteration of volume (hyper and hypophonia)
Dysarthria
-disturbance of articulation caused by impaired motor control resulting in slurring of speech
Mutism
-absence of phonation
Examination of Speech
-assess spontaneous speech, have subject read
listen for?
Speech volume: inc. in hearing deficits, dec. in vocal cord & extrapyramidal disorders (Parkinson’s disease)
Rate of Speech: inc. in fluent aphasia, dec. in non-fluent aphasia
Articulation: abnormal in many CNS & PNS disorders & in end-organ lesions
Language
-system of arbitrary symbols (sounds, written symbols, gestures) that permit communication of thoughts, ideas, emotions
Aphasia
-loss of ability for spoken and written language
Alexia
-loss of the ability to write when no motor impairment exists
Paraphasia
-language errors due to word or sound substitutions
Semantic Paraphasia
-substation of one word for another
Phonemic Paraphasia
-substation of one sound for another
Neologism
-creation of meaningless words
Semantics
-the meaning or the interpretation of a word, sentence, or other language form (language lexicon)
Syntax
-system of rules implicit in a language, viewed as a mechanism for generating all sentences possible in that language
Prosody
-tone, inflection, volume of words & sentences that add meaning to language
What connects Wernicke’s & Broca’s?
-arcuate fasciculus and other peri-Sylvian fibers
Broca Aphasis
Perisylvian Syndromes -excessive or motor asphasia -nonfluent speech, difficulty with syntax, grammer, & production of individual words -comprehension is intact (trouble with complex) <5) -only nouns, verbs, adjectives -repetition poor, agrammatic -paraphasias are common areas 44 & 45
most common cause: stroke
Wernicke Aphasia
Perisylvian Syndromes
-receptive or sensory aphasia
-fluent speech, syntax, & grammer & structure of words is intact
-difficulty with comprehension of speech
-produces nonsensical words & phrases
-inc. verbal output (~200 words/min)
-poor repetition, paraphasis errors, neologism
Brodmann’s area 22, stroke is common cause
Conduction Aphasia
Perisylvian Syndromes
- difficulty repeating words
- both comprehension & production of language are intact
- paraphasic errors are common
- lesion location in the supramarginal gyrus & arcuate fasciculus
- most common cause is occlusion of the angular branch of the left middle cerebral artery
Lateralization of Language
> 95% of right-handed persons are left hemisphere dominant
~65% of left-handed persons are left hemisphere dominant, 15-20% are right hemisphere dominant and the remainder have mixed dominance
Split-Brain Subject
- right handed subject
- can identify by touching with right hand (left brain is connected to language center)
- not with left hand
Left Hemisphere Language Functions
- Lexical & syntactic language
- Writing
- Speech
Right Hemisphere Language Functions
- Emotional coloring of language
- rudimentary speech
6 Components of Language Testing
- expression: normal verbal output 100-150 words/min; assess through spontaneous conversation
- comprehension of spoken language: test ability to follow simple & complex spoken commands
- Repetition: ask subject to repeat single words & phrases
- Reading: ask subjects to read aloud & follow written command
- Writing: ask subjects to write simple sentence
- Naming: ask subject to identify common objects
Global Aphasia
Perisylvian Syndrome
- both expressive & receptive language function are seriously impaired
- nonfluent, common paraphasic errors
- lesion involves large area of the left hemishpere
- causes are similar to Broca’s/Wernicke’s aphasia
Transcortical Motor Aphasia
- Extra-sylvian Syndromes
- uncommon aphasia similar to Broca’s except that subjects are able to repeat
- lesion location is left anterior frontal lobe, either superior or inferior to Broca’s area, lesion of the left basal ganglia may be a rare lesion site
- causes similar to Broca’s
Transcortical Sensory Aphasia
- Extra-sylvian Syndromes
- uncommon aphasia similar to Wernicke’s except that subjects are able to repeat
- lesion location is the border zone b/w the left middle cerebral and posterior cerebral arteries
- causes similar to Wernicke’s but also severe hypotension
Mixed Transcortical Aphasia
- Extra-sylvian Syndromes
- uncommon aphasia similar to Global Aphasia except subjects are able to repeat
- lesion location is the border zone b/w the left middle cerebral & anterior cerebral arteries
- causes: stroke & severe hypotension
Anomic Aphasia
- Extra-sylvian Syndromes
- poorly defined since all aphasias have naming difficulty
- lesion location may be anywhere in language area
- Gerstmann syndrome - anomia, alexia, agraphia, right-left disorientation, acalculia, finger agnosia, lesion localized to left angular gyrus (area 39)
Subcoritcal Aphasia
- Extra-sylvian Syndromes
- subjects with lesions of the left basal ganglia or left thalamus may be associated with variable forms of aphasia
Alexia without Agraphia
-Extra-sylvian Syndromes
-inability to read but perserved ability to right
-lesion location is the left medial occipital & medial temporal lobe involving the splenium of the corpus callosum
-cause is branch occlusion of the left posterior cerebral artery
(can’t registrate right visual field, left info can’t reach right language areas)
