Wernicke's area

Wernicke's area is one of the primary areas of the human brain and is associated with the processing of words that we hear being spoken, or language inputs. It is traditionally located in Brodmann area 22, which is in the superior temporal gyrus in the dominant cerebral hemisphere, which is the left hemisphere in about 95% of right-handed individuals and 70% of left-handed individuals.

Anatomy

Wernicke's area is classically located in the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) in the (dominant) cerebral hemisphere, which is situated in the lateral sulcus. This area encircles the auditory cortex on the lateral sulcus and is responsible for the comprehension of speech, while the frontal part of the Broca's area (located anteriorly and ventrally to the Wernicke's area in the frontal lobe) is related to speech production.

Function

The primary role of Wernicke's area is the comprehension of speech. Damage to this area can result in language deficits and aphasia - a condition characterized by either partial or total loss of the ability to communicate verbally or using written words. A person with Wernicke's aphasia may have difficulty understanding spoken words, yet may be able to produce coherent speech.

Clinical significance

Damage to Wernicke's area, in the dominant cerebral hemisphere, results in receptive, fluent Wernicke's aphasia. This type of aphasia is characterized by difficulty understanding spoken language, poor repetition of words or sentences, and fluent but often nonsensical output of language.

See also

• Broca's area
• Aphasia
• Neuroanatomy
• Neuroscience

References

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  Diagram showing Broca's and Wernicke's areas in the brain
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  Animation of Wernicke's area