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Wernicke’s area is the region of the brain that is important for language development.
Language development or usage can be seriously impaired by damage to Wernicke’s area of the brain.
Where is Wernicke’s area located?
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It is most frequently found in the left hemisphere of the brain, but not always.
Broca’s Area
One of the pioneers of this research was a French neurologist named Paul Broca.
He found that damage to this area resulted in problems producing language.
Broca’s area is a region of the brain in the frontal lobe involved in speech production.
It is responsible for the planning and production of speech.
It helps coordinate the muscles involved in speech and plays a role in understanding language.
Damage to Broca’s area can result in difficulty speaking clearly, or even in complete inability to speak.
Broca’s area is associated with language production, while Wernicke’s area is associated with language comprehension.
Wernicke’s area supports phonologic retrieval, an essential part of speech production.
This allows the mental representation of phonemes, which are then articulated in their temporal order.
Wernicke’s Aphasia
Language aphasia can result when Wernickes area is damaged by trauma or disease.
This condition is sometimes referred to as fluent aphasia, sensory aphasia, or receptive aphasia.
Non-existent and irrelevant words are often included in these individuals' sentences.
This key in of aphasia affects both spoken and written language.
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