Understanding Aphasia Is the Most Important Part of Recovery

Aphasia – a difficulty in producing or understanding words and language, both written and spoken – often results following a stroke that damages parts of the brain that produce and decode language. "When patients who have experienced a left-brain stroke suddenly find out they can no longer speak, or speak only haltingly, it's a dramatic situation," said Steven Z. Rapcsak, MD, a professor of neurology in the College of Medicine – Tucson. "In many cases, they have the thoughts and know what they're trying to express, but they just don't have the words."