Broca’s and Wernicke’s Areas

The neuropsychologist Andrea Cristina Alvarado Rodas explains in this article where Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area are located and their function. She also explains the characteristics of Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia.

Language is the tool used by human beings to communicate. It is closely related to thinking and often works in conjunction, although they involve different abilities.

Language is represented in multiple areas of the brain and depends on the integrated work of multiple cortical and subcortical zones. Brain injuries affecting these regions can cause language impairments.

Anatomical foundations of language

In the mid-19th century, the anatomical foundations of language were established, based mainly on the studies of Broca and Wernicke, who proposed that language is associated with the activity of three regions of the left hemisphere:

The posterior region of the frontal lobe.
The superior segment of the temporal lobe.
The insula.

In the early 20th century, Dejerine integrated clinical-anatomical observations available at the time and proposed the existence of a “Language Area,” which includes:

Broca’s area (third frontal convolution).
Wernicke’s area (the posterior segment of the first convolution of the temporal lobe).
A “Written Language Center” (the angular convolution).

It was not until the late 20th century when Dronkers indicated that the insula represents a critical brain region in coordinating complex articulatory movements (speech praxis).

The proposal of the existence of a language area corresponding to the perisylvian region of the left hemisphere was almost unanimously accepted and solidly integrated into the field of Neurology and Aphasiology. Authors such as Benson, Brain, Head, Nielsen, Luria, etc. incorporated it into their models of the brain’s language organization.

Broca’s Area

Broca’s Area: location. Where is Broca’s area located?

It is located in the left cerebral hemisphere, at the base of the third convolution of the frontal lobe. According to Brodmann’s map, it corresponds to areas 44 (pars opercularis) and 45 (pars triangularis).

Function of Broca’s Area

It is mainly involved in two situations:

The verbal production of language (morphosyntax), which corresponds to the expression and comprehension of syntactic structures, and plays a role in verb processing.
In the planning and programming of the movements necessary for articulation.

Wernicke’s Area

Wernicke’s Area: location. In which lobe is Wernicke’s area located?

It is located in the posterior first temporal convolution of the left temporal lobe. According to Brodmann’s classification, it is mainly associated with areas 22 and 42 of the cerebral cortex. It has been suggested that the supramarginal and angular convolutions are also part of this area.

Function of Wernicke’s Area

It is primarily associated with language comprehension and lexical selection processing. Therefore, it is the most important region of the entire brain for higher intellectual functions.

Aphasia

Aphasia is a language disorder caused by a brain injury that cannot be explained by sensory, motor, or mental deficits.

It occurs in an individual who had already acquired language and was using it normally before the brain injury. This condition can present difficulties in both speech production and comprehension.

Aphasia: treatment

It is important to note that there are different degrees of severity of aphasia, and symptoms may vary from person to person.

Treatment usually involves speech and language therapy, and recovery may vary depending on the extent of brain damage and severity.

Aphasia: Differential Diagnosis

Neuropsychologist Lidia García Pérez explains in this article what aphasia is, the types of aphasia and makes a discrimination between this disorder and speech disorders, dysarthria and cognitive-communicative impairment.

What is Broca’s aphasia?

It is a language disorder that results from damage to the Broca’s area of the brain.

Characteristics of Broca’s aphasia

The main characteristics of Broca’s aphasia include:

Non-fluent speech: People with Broca’s aphasia often experience difficulties in forming sentences fluently. Speech can be slow and laborious.
Altered repetition.
Difficulty with grammatical production: They may have difficulties in using grammar correctly, such as omitting small words (“a,” “the,” or “and”) or inverting the word order in the sentence.
Preserved comprehension: Although language production is affected, language comprehension remains intact. People with Broca’s aphasia can understand spoken and written language.
Awareness of errors: Often, people with Broca’s aphasia are aware of their difficulties in expressing themselves and may feel frustrated by the inability to communicate their thoughts effectively.

Wernicke’s Aphasia

What is Wernicke’s aphasia?

Wernicke’s aphasia is a language disorder that results from damage to the Wernicke’s area of the brain.

Characteristics of Wernicke’s aphasia

The main characteristics of Wernicke’s aphasia include:

Preserved speech fluency: Unlike Broca’s aphasia, people with Wernicke’s aphasia often have fluent speech, but the content of their speech may lack meaning or be incoherent.
Paraphasia: Paraphasias are speech errors in which incorrect words are used or combined inappropriately. In Wernicke’s aphasia, paraphasias can make speech difficult to understand.
Affected comprehension: Language comprehension, both spoken and written, is usually impaired. People with Wernicke’s aphasia may have difficulties understanding the meaning of words and sentences.
Altered repetition.
Lack of awareness of errors: Unlike Broca’s aphasia, people with Wernicke’s aphasia often do not have awareness of errors in their speech and may show a lack of awareness of the incoherence of their speech.

Conclusion

In summary, the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are specific regions of the brain that play a crucial role in language. It is important to note that although they are topographically separate, the connection between them is essential for normal language processing. The arcuate fasciculus is a band of nerve fibers that connects these areas, facilitating effective communication between language production and comprehension.

Bibliography

Ardila, A. (2014). Aphasia handbook. Edición en línea. Obtenido de http:// aalfredoardila.files.wordpress.com
Castaño, J. (2003). Bases neurobiológicas del lenguaje y sus alteraciones. Rev Neurol, 36(8), 781-5.
Diéguez-Vide, F., & Peña-Casanova, J. (2012). Cerebro y lenguaje: Sintomatología neurolingüística. Madrid: Médica Panamericana.
Friederici A, G. S. (2012). The language network. Curr Opin Neurobiol, 23:250-4.
González, R. (2013). Trastorno del Lenguaje y Habla. Santiago: Editorial Mediterráneo.

Anatomical foundations of language

Broca’s Area