What is aphasia, really and what happens when your brain no longer cooperates with your ability to speak or understand language? In this episode, Preston and Margaret tackle the messy, frustrating, and often isolating world of language disorders, focusing on the real-life implications of aphasia.
They walk through the clinical causes, what it looks like day-to-day, and how aphasia differs from other speech and cognitive issues. Along the way, they share stories of miscommunication, explore the frustrations of being misunderstood, and dig into how patients and clinicians can better work together when words are hard to find.
Takeaways:
Aphasia isn’t about intelligence—it’s about access.
There’s more than one kind of aphasia—and none of them are simple.
Communication breakdowns aren’t just frustrating—they’re isolating.
Not all “word-finding problems” are created equal.
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Listening might be the most important clinical skill we overlook.
Citations:
Main paper discussed during episode: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2854959/pdf/jcn-2-149.pdf
Aphasia and the Diagram Makers Revisited: an Update of Information Processing Models Kenneth M. Heilman, M.D. The James E. Rooks Jr. Distinguished Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, and VAMC, Gainesville, Florida
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Watch on YouTube: @itspresro
Listen Anywhere You Podcast: Apple, Spotify, PodChaser, etc.
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Produced by Dr Glaucomflecken & Human Content
Get in Touch: howtobepatientpod.com
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Welcome
00:28 Discussing Aphasia and Personal Experiences
02:05 Icebreaker: First Psychology Class Memories
04:30 Understanding Aphasia: Broca's and Wernicke's Areas
07:27 The Brain's Modular Nature
10:16 Historical Insights: Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke
25:03 Exploring Speech and Brain Connections
25:46 Benicky's Hypothesis and Its Validation
26:09 Understanding Speech Errors and Aphasia
28:40 Transcortical Mixed Aphasia and Phonological Lexicon
30:18 The Complexity of Speech Production
35:01 Emotional and Non-Verbal Communication
39:28 Prosody and the Musicality of Speech
43:18 Final Thoughts and Reflections
