NURS 6501: Week 7 Quiz:
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Question 7
An older adult patient with no significant past medical history suddenly develops difficulty speaking and understanding spoken language, without any motor deficit. Which of the following terms best describes his neurological deficit?
Group of answer choices
- Apraxia
- Aphasia
- Alexia
- Agraphia
Correct answer: Aphasia
Explanation:
The patient is presenting with a sudden onset of:
- Difficulty speaking
- Difficulty understanding spoken language
- No motor deficits
These features point to a language disorder, not a motor or comprehension issue due to sensory or muscular dysfunction.
Definition of key terms:
- Aphasia
→ Loss or impairment of language abilities (speaking, understanding, reading, or writing), typically due to a lesion in the dominant hemisphere, most often the left cerebral hemisphere (e.g., Broca’s or Wernicke’s area). - Apraxia
→ Inability to perform purposeful movements, despite intact motor and sensory function. - Alexia
→ Inability to read due to brain injury, often associated with damage to the left occipital lobe or angular gyrus. - Agraphia
→ Inability to write, which may occur independently or alongside alexia or aphasia.
In this case, the isolated language deficit without motor impairment strongly suggests aphasia.