Wernicke’s aphasia (receptive aphasia) is fluent speech that doesn’t make sense. You may have trouble reading, writing and understanding what others are saying to you. Receptive aphasia is common after an ischemic stroke or a traumatic brain injury. Speech therapy can help.
Wernicke’s aphasia (receptive aphasia) is a language disorder that affects your ability to make sense when speaking. It also affects your ability to understand what others are saying. Although speaking may seem easy, what you say can be confusing to others.
You might experience “word salad,” which happens when the words you use aren’t the right ones for a sentence or when you make up new words as you go. This is similar to putting a bunch of random words from a dictionary into a bowl and mixing them up. An example of a word salad is: “The green dog jump helicopter cheese on the yesterday smoodle.”
This type of aphasia doesn’t affect your intelligence. It only affects how your brain processes language.
You may hear your healthcare provider refer to Wernicke’s aphasia as fluent aphasia.
Wernicke’s aphasia is one of the most common types of aphasia that happens after a stroke.
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The symptoms of Wernicke’s aphasia (receptive aphasia) include:
People with Wernicke’s aphasia often have anosognosia (an-oh-sog-no-zh-uh). This is a condition where your brain can’t recognize or process signs of a medical problem you have. That means you likely won’t know or can’t understand that you have this kind of aphasia.
If you have Wernicke’s aphasia, the tone and speed of your speech are as expected, but the things you say aren’t. Others might not understand what you’re saying because of word or phrase substitutions (paraphrastic errors). There are two types:
Often, you might find it easier to replace specific words or phrases with general terms like “stuff” or “things.”
Damage to the Wernicke’s area of your brain causes Wernicke’s aphasia (receptive aphasia). The Wernicke’s area may be on the right or left side of your brain, above your ear in your temporal lobe. The most common cause of damage to this area of your brain is a stroke.
Other causes may include:
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Wernicke’s aphasia makes it difficult to understand what someone’s saying and be understood by others. This can lead to:
A healthcare provider will diagnose Wernicke’s aphasia after a physical exam, language evaluation and testing. Your provider will review your medical history during the physical exam.
During the evaluation, your provider will examine how your brain processes language. They’ll ask you questions and give you instructions to follow that may include:
A speech-language pathologist (SLP) usually performs this language evaluation and helps your care team make an aphasia diagnosis.
Imaging tests can confirm damage to the Wernicke’s area of your brain. Your provider may order one of the following tests:
It’s important to note that making a diagnosis can be challenging because you may not realize you have a problem communicating.
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There isn’t a cure for Wernicke’s aphasia (receptive aphasia). However, options are available to treat the underlying cause and help you effectively communicate and rebuild language skills.
The primary treatment option is speech therapy. During speech therapy, you’ll learn how to:
Many people find group therapy helpful to decrease feelings of isolation and to practice their newly learned skills with others.
Your healthcare providers can also offer support to your caregivers and loved ones so you can effectively communicate with those closest to you.
There isn’t a way to prevent Wernicke’s aphasia. You can take steps to improve your general health to prevent causes of aphasia, like stroke and injury, by:
Your healthcare provider can give you more specific tips to better your health based on your situation.
Your outlook varies based on the severity of damage to the Wernicke area of your brain. You may see some improvement over time. On average, your language skills improve the most within the first six months after a stroke, though some people may continue to recover at a slower pace for even months to years after that.
You may need to find alternative methods of communication, like using sign language or assistive devices and technology.
It also helps to include your caregivers and loved ones in your treatment so they can learn how to communicate with you. They may need to:
Your healthcare providers can offer additional advice to help you and your loved ones adapt to Wernicke’s aphasia.
Let a healthcare provider know if you or a loved one experience symptoms of Wernicke’s aphasia, especially communicating clearly with others or understanding what someone says. If you received a Wernicke’s aphasia diagnosis and your symptoms get worse, let your provider know.
If symptoms happen suddenly, it could be a sign of a stroke. Contact 911 or your local emergency services number immediately.
Questions to consider asking your provider include:
Wernicke’s aphasia may feel like you’re at a social gathering where everyone speaks a different language. You may recognize certain words or expressions, but it’s difficult to understand the conversation or contribute to it. This is a frustrating and lonely experience, but you don’t have to face it alone.
Your care team may recommend treatment options like speech therapy or participating in clinical trials. Your providers can also show you adaptive methods using technology or alternative means like sign language, so you can effectively communicate your wants and needs with others.
Last reviewed on 07/03/2024.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy