aphasia

Definition of aphasia

a-pha--sia - Impaired ability to use or comprehend words (condition of lacking communication)

1.  A [partial or total [loss]] Aphasia results from damage to dominant (usually left) hemisphere perisylvian language areas (Broca’s frontal, Wernicke’s temporal, arcuate fasciculus), disrupting phonology, syntax, semantics, or fluency; classified as fluent (Wernicke’s: nonsensical verbosity), nonfluent (Broca’s: effortful telegraphic speech), conduction (repetition deficit), anomic (word-finding), global (total loss), or primary progressive (degenerative); spares intelligence but isolates socially.

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Etymology of aphasia

mid 19th century: from greek, from aphatos ‘speechless’, from a- ‘not’ + phanai ‘speak’. • A-: Greek prefix = “without, not.” • -phasia: Greek phásis (φάσις) = “speech, utterance” (from phánai “to speak”). • Literal: “Without speech” (coined 1864 by Armand Trousseau).

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Classification Table

Type	Location/Characteristics	Speech Pattern/Key Deficit
Broca’s (nonfluent)	Frontal (Broca’s area, IFG)	Telegraphic (“want…home”), good comprehension, effortful, agrammatic.[1][3]
Wernicke’s (fluent)	Temporal (superior temporal gyrus)	Fluent, nonsensical (“word salad”), neologisms, poor comprehension.[1][3]
Conduction	Arcuate fasciculus (supramarginal/angular)	Fluent, good comprehension, poor repetition (“no way José”).[3]
Anomic	Temporal-parietal (angular gyrus)	Word-finding pauses, circumlocution (“thingy”).[4]
Global	Perisylvian (large MCA stroke)	Minimal output, poor comprehension.[1]
Primary Progressive (PPA)	Frontotemporal degeneration	Gradual worsening (nonfluent, semantic, logopenic variants).[3]

Coding Context

ICD-10-CM:

Code	Description
R47.01	Aphasia (unspecified).
I69.320	Aphasia post cerebral infarction (stroke).[10]
G11.4	PPA (frontotemporal dementia variant).

Causes and Risk Factors

• Vascular (70%): Ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke (left MCA).[2]
• Traumatic: TBI, contusion.[3]
• Neoplastic: Brain tumor, abscess.[1]
• Degenerative: PPA (tauopathy).[3]
• Other: Encephalitis, seizures, hypoxia.[2]

Related Terms

• dysarthria: Motor speech (slurring) vs. linguistic aphasia.
• Apraxia of speech: Motor planning deficit (often w/Broca’s).
• Alexia: Reading deficit; agraphia: writing.
• Anomia: Naming deficit (all types).
• NIHSS: Includes aphasia score (0-4).[3]
• [monophasia]

Clinical Details

Assessment: Boston Naming Test, Token Test, repetition (“no ifs ands buts”).
Symptoms: Paraphasias (literal: “spoon”→“poon”; semantic: “spoon”→“fork”), neologisms, jargon, perseveration.[1] Prognosis: 30-50% significant recovery (1st 3 months); speech therapy key.[2] Management: Speech-language pathology, constraint-induced therapy, apps (Constant Therapy).[4]

One-Sentence Summary
Aphasia (R47.01/I69.320, Greek a- -phasia “without speech”), disrupts language post-stroke (Broca’s telegraphic/Wernicke’s fluent/global/PPA), spares cognition; speech therapy yields 30-50% recovery.[1][2][3]

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DERIVATIONS of aphasia

TABLE definition AS Definition 
WHERE length(filter(roots, (word) => econtains([[]].roots, word))) > 0 AND file.name !=[[]].file.name
SORT file.name ASC

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Query

TABLE definition AS Definition
FROM #medroot
WHERE length(filter(definition, (word) => econtains([[]].definition, word))) > 0 AND file.name != [[]].file.name

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Med roots Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms