Language

Question 1

What is speech?

Answer 1

Production of audible sounds that may or may not be used to communicate; phonation and articulation

Question 2

What is phonation?

Answer 2

Sound production by the moving vocal cords, the muscles of which are innervated by branches of the vagus nerve, which is controlled by its UMNs

Question 3

How does abnormal phonation sound?

Answer 3

Hoarse, whispering, or breathy

Question 4

What is articulation?

Answer 4

Sound production by actions and varied positions of the lips, tongue, palate, and pharynx, innervated by CNs VII, IX, X, XII, and their associated UMNs

Question 5

How does abnormal articulation (dysarthria) sound?

Answer 5

Slurred, choppy, indistinct

Question 6

What is language?

Answer 6

Communication by means of symbols and is not limited to production of audible sounds

Question 7

Which cerebral hemisphere is dominant in what-handed people?

Answer 7

L cerebral hemisphere is dominant in almost all right-handed people and about half of all left-handed people

Question 8

Major language centers are in the vascular territory of the ___ artery.

Answer 8

MCA

Question 9

What is aphasia?

Answer 9

Disorder of previously acquired language ability due to a lesion in a critical language center

Question 10

What is fluency?

Answer 10

Ease, facility, and quantity of speech regardless of content or meaning

Question 11

How is comprehension evidenced?

Answer 11

Verbal or written commands are followed

Question 12

Cause of imperfect repetition?

Answer 12

Lesion in either perisylvian language center (Broca’s or Werncike’s) or the connecting arcuate fasciculus

Question 13

What is a paraphasia?

Answer 13

Abnormal word or syllable substitution

Question 14

Paraphasias are more common with what lesions?

Answer 14

Lesions in the posterior perisylvian language region, particularly with Wernicke’s aphasia

Question 15

Cause of Broca’s aphasia?

Answer 15

Posterior inferior frontal lobe lesion in the dominant hemisphere

Question 16

Fluency, repetition, and comprehension in Broca’s aphasia?

Answer 16

Fluency: non-fluent
Repetition: imperfect
Comprehension: good (relatively preserved)

Question 17

Cause of Wernicke’s aphasia?

Answer 17

Posterior superior temporal lobe lesion in the dominant hemisphere

Question 18

Fluency, repetition, and comprehension in Wernicke’s aphasia?

Answer 18

Fluency: fluent
Repetition: imperfect
Comprehension: poor

Question 19

Cause of conduction aphasia?

Answer 19

Lesion of the arcuate fasciculus

Question 20

Fluency, repetition, and comprehension in conduction aphasia?

Answer 20

Fluency: fluent
Repetition: imperfect
Comprehension: intermediate

Question 21

Fluency, repetition, and comprehension in global aphasia?

Answer 21

Fluency: non-fluent
Repetition: imperfect
Comprehension: poor

Question 22

Lesions in posteiror parts of the dominant hemisphere may affect specific aspects such as ___ or ___.

Answer 22

Alexia; agraphia

Question 23

What is alexia and what causes it?

Answer 23

Impaired reading; visual cortex is disconnected from language centers critical for reading

Question 24

What is agraphia and what causes it?

Answer 24

Impaired writing; motor cortex for the dominant hand is disconnected from language centers critical for writing

Question 25

What is prosody?

Answer 25

Semantic and emotional meaning of language as conveyed by changes in vocal pitch, inflection, melody, or tone

Question 26

What types of lesions can cause aprosodia?

Answer 26

Non-dominant cortical lesions

Question 27

What is a sensory (receptive) aprosodia and what causes it?

Answer 27

Patient does not understand the emotional content in words spoken by tothers and cannot repeat or mimc the elements of prosody; when the patient speaks, normal prosody and gesturing is present

Lesion in the non-dominant posterior superior temporal lobe

Question 28

What is a motor (expressive) aprosodia and what causes it?

Answer 28

Patient fails to incorporate elements of prosody when speaking, unable to repeat or mimic the elements of prosody when heard; able to understand the emotional content or speech of others

Lesion in the non-dominant posterior inferior frontal lobe opposite Broca’s area