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Multiple Choice

Which aphasia is described as non-fluent with impaired comprehension and reading, with writing and repetition preserved, associated with a posterior parietal/temporal lesion (sparing Wernicke's)?

Problems with language that reveal a specific dissociation between comprehension and repetition point to transcortical sensory aphasia. In this condition the spoken output is often fluent or near-fluent, but understanding spoken language is impaired, which also affects reading. Writing tends to be affected as well because it relies on the same language comprehension processes. A key feature is that repetition remains intact—the patient can repeat words and phrases normally even though they don’t truly grasp the meaning of what is being said. This pattern arises from a lesion in the temporo-parietal junction (posterior parietal/temporal region) that disconnects Wernicke’s area from the broader language network, while sparing Wernicke’s area itself and the arcuate fasciculus that would support repetition. That’s why a posterior lesion sparing Wernicke’s leads to preserved repetition despite impaired comprehension and reading, with writing often affected by the overall language deficit. By contrast, conduction aphasia would show impaired repetition; Wernicke’s aphasia would have poor comprehension with fluent speech and impaired repetition; global aphasia would involve widespread deficits across production and comprehension; transcortical motor aphasia would be nonfluent with preserved repetition and implicates frontal motor regions.

Problems with language that reveal a specific dissociation between comprehension and repetition point to transcortical sensory aphasia. In this condition the spoken output is often fluent or near-fluent, but understanding spoken language is impaired, which also affects reading. Writing tends to be affected as well because it relies on the same language comprehension processes. A key feature is that repetition remains intact—the patient can repeat words and phrases normally even though they don’t truly grasp the meaning of what is being said. This pattern arises from a lesion in the temporo-parietal junction (posterior parietal/temporal region) that disconnects Wernicke’s area from the broader language network, while sparing Wernicke’s area itself and the arcuate fasciculus that would support repetition. That’s why a posterior lesion sparing Wernicke’s leads to preserved repetition despite impaired comprehension and reading, with writing often affected by the overall language deficit. By contrast, conduction aphasia would show impaired repetition; Wernicke’s aphasia would have poor comprehension with fluent speech and impaired repetition; global aphasia would involve widespread deficits across production and comprehension; transcortical motor aphasia would be nonfluent with preserved repetition and implicates frontal motor regions.