Wernicke's area
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225570874
2008-07-14T10:46:01Z
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'''Wernicke's area''' is a part of the [[human cerebrum]] that forms part of the [[Cerebral cortex|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]] [[Brodmann area 22|22]], and, for most people, it is located in the left [[Cerebral hemisphere|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 [[Germany|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.
==See also==
* [[Arcuate fasciculus]]
* [[Broca's area]]
* [[Cerebral cortex|Cortex]]
* [[Human brain]]
* [[Uncinate fasciculus]]
{{Prosencephalon}}
[[Category:Cerebrum]]
[[de:Wernicke-Zentrum]]
[[es:Área de Wernicke]]
[[fr:Aire de Wernicke]]
[[id:Area Wernicke]]
[[it:Area di Wernicke]]
[[nl:Gebied van Wernicke]]
[[ja:ウェルニッケ野]]
[[no:Wernickes område]]
[[pl:Pole Wernickego]]
[[pt:Área de Wernicke]]
[[th:บริเวณเวอร์นิเก]]
[[zh:韦尼克区]]