Would Wernicke's Aphasic Speech Vary with Auditory Comprehension Abilities and/or Lesion Loci?

Speech characteristics of Wernicke's aphasia are characterized by such errors as empty speech, jargon, paraphasia, filler and others. However, not all the errors can be observed in each patient presumably due to diverse auditory comprehension (AC) abilities and/or lesion loci. The purpose of this study was, thus, to clarify the speech characteristics of Wernicke's aphasics according to the AC levels (i.e., better vs. worse) and lesion loci (i.e., Wernicke's area, WA vs. non-Wernicke's area, NWA). The authors divided 21 Wernicke's aphasic patients into four patient groups based on their AC levels and the lesion loci. The results showed that the four groups differed only in CIU (Correct Information Unit) rate. The patient groups with a better AC ability had higher CIU rates than the groups with a worse AC regardless of the lesion loci (e.g., WA or NWA). Therefore, it was concluded that CIU rate, the differentiating speech variable was most likely related to the AC levels, but not to lesion loci.