Lesion localization of the symptoms of Broca's aphasia (1) : Articulatory disorder and anomia.

Abstract

As it become appreciated that the disruption restricted to the third frontal gyrus does not produce Broca's aphasia, the lesion localization responsible for the occurrence of Broca's aphasia is, again, coming into question. Besides, articulatory disorder, the prominent feature of Broca's aphasia, varies both in quality and in quantity, e. g. from phonetic disintegration syndrome to anarthria, therefore, it seems to be inadequate to expect single lesion. We compared the location of the lesion of the cases who became Broca's aphasia (7 cases) and who did not become Broca's aphasia (4 cases of no aphasia and 6 cases of anomic aphasia) by the infarction which centered frontal lobe, insula, and lenticular zone, where has been regarded to be associated with Broca's aphasia. We also compared the variety of the nature of the articulatory disorder and the difference of the lesion. As a result, association of the symptoms and the location of lesions thought to be as follows, phonetic disintegration syndrome and anterior central gyrus, phonemic paraphasia and posterior insula or posterior part of the peri-Rolandic area, anomia and white matter of the deep portion of the third frontal gyrus and centrum semiovale. It was suggested that Broca's aphasia is produced by the disruption overlapping these areas, i. e. Broca's aphasia characteristic of phonetic disintegration syndrome is associated with the infarction of the white matter of the deep portion of the third frontal gyrus, centrum semiovale, and anterior central gyrus, Broca's aphasia characteristic of both phonetic disintegration syndrome and phonemic paraphasia is produced by the lesion extended further to posterior insula or the posterior part of the peri-Rolandic area.