Language disorders are diverse, both in their symptoms and in the origin of the disorder.

In this article we will see everything concerning conduction aphasia , what are its main symptoms, how the diagnosis is made, its causes and the treatment for these cases.

What is driving aphasia?

What characterises conductive aphasia is the inability to repeat words that reach the ears .

For example, imagine that immediately after suffering some kind of accident, we regain consciousness and notice that it is impossible for us to repeat the words that we are told. Probably in this case we will be facing this kind of aphasia.

Causes

This speech disorder corresponds to organic causes in the brain. Specifically it originates from lesions in the arched fascicle , which connects the Broca’s area with the Wernicke’s area, and from the supramarginal gyrus.

Generally, the incidents that mostly cause conduction aphasia are cerebrovascular diseases (CVD), although they can originate in other ways, let’s review what they are.

1. Head trauma

After some kind of accident, driving aphasia can occur. Under normal conditions, after some time, with the necessary treatment and rest, you can be completely rehabilitated.

2. Central Nervous System (CNS) Tumors

One of the symptoms that the subject may be presenting a tumor in some structure of the CNS is the inability to reproduce words, which is why neurological evaluation is fundamental .

3. Others

Other possible causes are degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or brain infections , among others.

What are the symptoms of this disorder?

Apart from the inability to repeat words orally, there are other symptoms characteristic of this type of aphasia. Let’s look at them.

  • Difficulty finding words (phonemic parafasias)
  • lterations in reading (when it is aloud).
  • Alterations in writing .

In the most severe cases of this type of aphasia, the repetition of the words can be completely null on the part of the affected subject , while in the milder cases the person can manage to pronounce some words, after having made a series of approximations out loud. The latter is known as phonemic paraphrase disorder, which is a comorbidity with conduction aphasia.

While you have this aphasia, you may be able to repeat some words, as long as the extent of the injury is not too much and the words you are told make sense. When it comes to nonsense words (pseudo-words) the subject is completely unable to repeat them.

Diagnosis

Considering the multiple types of aphasia that exist, this is one of the mildest that exists, and its diagnosis is very simple to make.

First of all the degree of education and the age of the subject before the time of the accident that caused the disorder must be taken into account; that will be the starting point for the evaluation.

Then, the extent of the injury is reviewed by means of a neuropsychological evaluation, taking into account that there are multiple degrees of affection in terms of brain structures and it is necessary to establish which is exactly the one presented by the patient.

In addition to this assessment, the individual is given a series of prompts, focused primarily on repetition of specific words, letters, invented words, and random phrases. This serves to give the evaluator an idea of the extent of the lesion through the complications shown by the subject in decoding the auditory information provided through the cues

Treatment

The treatment for aphasia is based mainly on speech therapy with a speech therapist, in addition to a neuropsychological rehabilitation process . The latter is important, taking into account that by exercising cognitive processes in general we are stimulating our speech process.

Let us remember that verbal expression is an extension of our thinking; when we work on concentration, memory, and executive functions, we are taking giant steps towards recovery from aphasia.

Bibliographic references:

  • Ardila, A. (2010). A proposed reinterpretation and reclassification of aphasic syndromes. Aphasiology 24 (3): 363-394.
  • Damasio, H.; Damasio, A. R. (1980). The Anatomical Basis of Conduction Aphasia. Brain, 103 (2): 337-350.