Wernicke’s Area

Wernicke’s Area

Question 1. Write a short note on the sensory speech area (Wernicke’s area).

Answer. Location Of Sensory Speech Area

The sensory speech area (Brodmann areas 22, 39, and 40) is located in:

• Posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus (Brodmann area 22) of the dominant cerebral hemisphere.
• Parts of the inferior parietal lobule, including the supramarginal and angular gyri, correspond to Brodmann areas 40 and 39, respectively.

Wernicke’s area

Functions Of the Sensory Speech Area

• Understanding written and spoken languages i.e. is concerned with the understanding and interpretation of language through visual and auditory input.
• Essential for the constant availability of learned word patterns.
• Essential for the process of learning, such as reading, writing, and computing.

Applied Anatomy of Sensory Speech Area If the sensory speech area is damaged, the affected individual will suffer from receptive or sensory aphasia. In this condition, the affected individual cannot understand spoken words, though his hearing is normal; consequently, he/she is unaware of the meaning of the words he/she uses.

Wernicke’s area in brain

As a result, he/she uses incorrect words or even nonexistent words. To others, his/her speech sounds like an incomprehensible foreign language.

Other defects seen in sensory aphasia are as follows:

• Alexia: Disability in reading.
• Agraphia: Disability in writing.
• Acalculia: Disability in computing.
• Anomia: Inability to recognize of names of objects.