Wernicke's area

Wernicke's area

Infobox Brain
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Caption = Approximate location of Wernicke's area highlighted in grey


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Wernicke's area is a part of the human cerebrum that forms part of the cortex, on the posterior section of the superior temporal gyrus, encircling the auditory cortex, on the Sylvian fissure (part of the brain where the temporal lobe and parietal lobe meet). It can also be described as the posterior part of Brodmann area 22, and, for most people, it is located in the left hemisphere, as the left hemisphere is specialized for language skills. Occlusion of the middle cerebral artery in a stroke can affect the proper functioning of this area.

Wernicke's area is named after Carl Wernicke, a German neurologist and psychiatrist who, in 1874, discovered that damage to this area could cause a type of aphasia that is now called Wernicke's aphasia or receptive aphasia.

This condition results in a major impairment of language comprehension, and in speech that has a natural-sounding rhythm and a relatively normal syntax but is largely meaningless (a condition sometimes called "fluent" or "jargon aphasia").

Wernicke's work initiated the study of this brain area and its role in language. It is particularly known to be involved in the understanding and comprehension of spoken language.

It is connected to Broca's area via the arcuate fasciculus, a neural pathway. It also has connections to the primary auditory cortex, evidence for its role in the comprehension of the spoken words.

ee also

* Arcuate fasciculus
* Broca's area
* Cortex
* Human brain
* Uncinate fasciculus


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wernicke's area — n an area located in the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus that plays an important role in the comprehension of language …   Medical dictionary

  • Wernicke's area — noun Etymology: Karl Wernicke died 1905 German neurologist Date: 1950 an area of the brain that is located in the posterior left temporal lobe and is associated with comprehension of language …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Wernicke's area — noun the auditory word center; located in the posterior part of the superior temporal convolution in most people • Syn: ↑Wernicke s center • Hypernyms: ↑center, ↑centre, ↑nerve center, ↑nerve centre • Part Holonyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Wernicke's area — /vair ni keuhz, keez/, Anat. a portion of the left posterior temporal lobe of the brain, involved in the ability to understand words. [named after Karl Wernicke (1848 1905), German neurologist, who discovered it] * * * …   Universalium

  • Área de Wernicke — Área de Wernicke. El área de Wernicke es una parte del cerebro humano situada en la corteza cerebral en la mitad posterior del giro temporal superior, y en la parte adyacente del giro temporal medio. Corresponde a las áreas 22, 39 y 40 de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Wernicke — is a surname, and may refer to* Christian Wernicke * Herbert Wernicke * Carl Wernicke a German physician after which Wernicke s area and Wernicke s encephalopathy was named …   Wikipedia

  • Wernicke-Geschwind model — Carl Wernicke created an early neurological model of language, that later was revived by Norman Geschwind. The model is known as the Wernicke Geschwind model.# For listening to and understanding spoken words, the sounds of the words are sent… …   Wikipedia

  • Wernicke's encephalopathy — Infobox Disease Name = Wernicke encephalopathy Caption = Thiamine DiseasesDB = ICD10 = ICD10|E|51|2|e|50 ICD9 = ICD9|265.1 ICDO = OMIM = MedlinePlus = eMedicineSubj = emerg eMedicineTopic = 642 MeshID = Wernicke encephalopathy is a syndrome… …   Wikipedia

  • Wernicke's aphasia — /vair ni keez, keuhz/, Pathol. a type of aphasia caused by a lesion in Wernicke s area of the brain and characterized by grammatical but more or less meaningless speech and an apparent inability to comprehend speech. [see WERNICKE S AREA] * * * …   Universalium

  • Wernicke's aphasia — noun aphasia characterized by fluent but meaningless speech and severe impairment of the ability understand spoken or written words • Syn: ↑fluent aphasia, ↑receptive aphasia, ↑sensory aphasia, ↑impressive aphasia • Hypernyms: ↑aphasia * * *… …   Useful english dictionary

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