Can herpes simplex virus encephalitis cause aphasia?

Abstract

Aphasia implies the loss or impairment of language caused by brain damage. The key to understanding the nature of aphasic symptoms is the neuro‐anatomical site of brain damage, and not the causative agent. However, because Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis infection usually affects the frontal and temporal lobes, subcortical structures and hippocampal tissue, the link between aphasia and HSV encephalitis is investigated in this article, based on the neuro‐anatomical site of brain damage caused by such infection. A longitudinal case study of a patient with HSV encephalitis infection suggested the presence of fluent, conduction aphasia. The features included fluent conversational speech, superior comprehension of spoken language, and normal to good comprehension of reading matter, but defective handwriting, impaired reading aloud, circumlocution, visual field loss, poor auditory memory and repetition.