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Learning Intention: You will learn about...
How structures of the brain link to speech and understanding.
how to differentiate between Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia
Success Criteria: You will be able to...
Identify where both Broca's Areas and Wernicke's Area are located on a diagram.
Describe the function of each.
Define aphasia.
Describe the differences between Broca's and Wernicke's.
Key Terms:
Wernicke's area
Broca's area
Aphasia
Wernicke's Aphasia
Broca's Aphasia
Prior Knowledge
Prior Knowledge
Describe Sarah's speech
Describe Byron's speech
New Knowledge
New Knowledge
PP Option 1 (see right)
PP Option 2 - Speech and Understanding
Understanding the Aphasias
Understanding the Aphasias
📌 Broca’s Aphasia:
People with Broca’s aphasia struggle to form sentences but understand speech.
They might say: "Want… water…" instead of "I want some water."
Speech is slow and effortful, but they know what they want to say.
📌 Wernicke’s Aphasia:
People with Wernicke’s aphasia can speak fluently but their sentences don’t make sense.
They might say: "The water book goes flying under the happy time."
They don’t realise their words don’t make sense.
Application Tasks
Application Tasks
Describe the image (on the PPT 2) to your partner.
partner 1 needs to face against the back wall
partner 2 needs to describe the image while the partner 1 tries to draw it
Can only describe shapes – CANNOT mention descriptions e.g. cant say “draw a tail etc”
Then complete the following
a. Describe which element of that task was linked to Broca’s Area. Write an example in your book.
b. Draw a diagram to show this process.
c. Describe which element of that task was linked to Wernicke’s Area. Write an example in your book.
d. Draw a diagram to show this process.
Answer the questions:
How does Broca’s Aphasia differ from Wernicke’s Aphasia?
Describe some of the characteristics of a person with Broca’s Aphasia
The speech produced by patients with Broca’s aphasia is different than the speech produced by patients with a lesion in Wernicke’s area. Explain the difference between the two types of speech.
How might someone with Broca’s Aphasia interpret the following sentence: The boy was chased by the girl.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia are usually caused by strokes because strokes often disrupt blood flow to the brain, depriving brain cells of oxygen and causing damage to specific areas responsible for language.
Why Strokes Affect These Areas?
Why Strokes Affect These Areas?
Blood Supply to the Brain:
youtu.be/JWC-cVQmEmY?si=EpQVwacavqKfhq7G
The middle cerebral artery (MCA) supplies both Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas.
A stroke in this artery can cut off oxygen to these regions, causing language impairments.
Brain Cells Die Quickly:
Neurons in Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas rely on oxygen and nutrients from blood flow.
When a stroke blocks blood flow or causes bleeding, these neurons die within minutes to hours.
This results in permanent damage to the ability to speak or understand language.
Why Different Types of Aphasia?
Why Different Types of Aphasia?
If the stroke affects Broca’s area (frontal lobe):
Speech production is impaired (Broca’s aphasia).
People struggle to form sentences but can understand speech.
If the stroke affects Wernicke’s area (temporal lobe):
Speech comprehension is impaired (Wernicke’s aphasia).
People speak fluently but their words don’t make sense.
Since strokes commonly affect the left hemisphere (which controls language in most people), they are one of the leading causes of aphasia.
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