Speech, language, cerebral dominance

Question 1

Cerebral dominance in speech in individuals with no early brain-damage:

Answer 1

Left

Question 2

Cerebral dominance in speech in individuals with early brain-damage:

Answer 2

If R handed: Mostly left

If L handed: More right, some bilateral, some left.

Question 3

Age of injury to left hemisphere and how it affects language development:

Answer 3

Prior to 1: Development of language spared, but often there is a generalized cognitive deficit.

Between 1 and 5: Language may shift to opposite hemisphere, cause visual-spatial deficit (crowding).

Over 5: Language no longer spared.

Question 4

Disorders of speech vs disorders of language:

Answer 4

Of speech: abnormalities in control of muscles that produce speech. Mutism, aphonia, aphemia (lesion below Broca’s area), dysarthria.

Of language: acquired disturbances of linguistic function due to injury of the CNS. The aphasias.

Question 5

Fluency in context of lesion anterior/posterior to motor strip.

Answer 5

Anterior lesion: disfluent speech

Posterior lesion: fluent speech

Question 6

Fluency, repetition, comprehension in Broca’s aphasia:

Answer 6

Fluency decreased
Repetition decreased
Comprehension same.

Question 7

Fluency, repetition, comprehension in Wernicke’s aphasia:

Answer 7

Fluency same. Patient will not make sense, but will not be aware they are not making sense.
Repetition decreased
Comprehension decreased

Question 8

Fluency, repetition, comprehension in Conduction aphasia:

Answer 8

Fluency same
Repetition decreased
Comprehension same

Question 9

Fluency, repetition, comprehension in Global aphasia:

Answer 9

Impaired everything, mute.

Usually due to a full MCA stroke.

Question 10

What is aprosodia:

Answer 10

Inability to interpret and convey emotional prosody.