What causes Aphasia?
Aphasia is caused by damage to one or more of the language areas of the brain. Many times, the cause of the brain injury is a stroke. A stroke occurs when, for some reason, blood is unable to reach a part of the brain. Brain cells die when they do not receive their normal supply of blood, which carries oxygen and important nutrients. Other causes of brain injury are severe blows to the head, brain tumors, brain infections, and other conditions of the brain. Individuals with Broca’s aphasia have damage to the frontal lobe of the brain. These individuals frequently speak in short, meaningful phrases that are produced with great effort. Broca’s aphasia is thus characterized as a nonfluent aphasia. Affected people often omit small words such as “is,” “and,” and “the.” For example, a person with Broca’s aphasia may say, “Walk dog” meaning, “I will take the dog for a walk.” The same sentence could also mean “You take the dog for a walk,” or “The dog walked out of the yard,” depending on the
Aphasia is caused by damage to the areas of the brain that control language. Different types of aphasia are caused by damage to different locations in the brain. Most commonly, aphasia is caused by damage from a Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) or stroke. Brain injuries, tumors, or other neurological events can also cause aphasia. It is important to note that not everyone who has a stroke has a diagnosis of aphasia. Henry Evans is one example of an individual who has had a stroke but does not have aphasia.
