Definition: Absence of impairment of the ability to communicate through speech, writing or signs, due to dysfunction of brain centers. Aphasia generally occurs as a result of brain injury from stroke or trauma. There are several forms of aphasia including:
- amnesic - a loss of memory for words
- auditory - inability to understand spoken words
- fluent - words are easily spoken but those used are incorrect and may be unrelated to content of other words spoken
- motor - patients know what they want to say but cannot say it due to the inability to coordinate muscles controlling speech
- global - failure of expression and perception of language
Pronunciation: a-fa'se-a
Also Known As: alalia
Alternate Spellings: aphasic, aphasiac
Common Misspellings: afasia
Examples: Bill developed aphasia lost his ability to speak after the stroke that damaged his brain.