Broca’s Aphasia

Broca’s aphasia is a language disorder that affects communication. You know what to say but have trouble speaking. It takes a lot of effort to say a complete sentence so you may remove certain words to make it easier. Aphasia can lead to social isolation and mental health challenges. Speech therapy can help.

Overview

What is Broca’s aphasia?

Broca’s aphasia is an expressive language disorder that affects how you speak (your fluency) but not your understanding of words (your comprehension). You might have trouble forming sentences longer than four words, finding the right words for a sentence or making the correct sounds to say each word. It may be easier for you to read than write.

The following are examples of Broca’s aphasia speech:

• “Want water now” instead of “I want a glass of water.”
• “Me go store buy milk” instead of “I’m going to the store to buy milk.”
• “Dog dog park” instead of “There are two dogs at the park.”

Broca’s aphasia, sometimes called expressive aphasia, is the most common form of non-fluent aphasia. It usually happens after brain damage from a stroke or traumatic brain injury.

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of Broca’s aphasia?

The symptoms of Broca’s aphasia affect your communication skills. You know what to say but can’t say it. You may:

• Have trouble forming sentences.
• Only use a few words instead of saying a full sentence.
• Rely on nouns and/or leave out linking words (conjunctions like “and,” “or” and “but”).
• Have trouble repeating phrases and sentences.

Broca’s aphasia doesn’t affect your intelligence. You might have trouble understanding long, complex sentences at times, but not always.

You may notice it takes a lot of effort to formulate words and sentences. As a result, this can significantly impact your mental health and your willingness to connect with others. It’s common to experience the following with Broca’s aphasia:

• Frustration
• Isolation
• Depression

Depending on what caused aphasia symptoms and the area of your brain where damage occurred, you may have additional symptoms beyond your speech. For example, after a stroke, you’re more likely to have trouble moving or paralysis on one side of your body. Stroke damage can also affect the muscles that control your arms and legs and you may have residual weakness.

What causes Broca’s aphasia?

Damage to the Broca’s area of your brain causes this type of aphasia. The Broca’s area is in your frontal lobe, on the left side of your head, near your temple. This part of your brain controls your speech and articulation.

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