Located within the cerebral hemisphere’s left temporal lobe, Wernicke’s area is a brain region critical for language development, particularly in speech comprehension. Language capabilities are progressively acquired and enhanced from childhood to adulthood and encompass receptive and expressive abilities. Wernicke’s area contains motor neurons that support the comprehension of both written and spoken language. This implies that an impairment in this brain region results in dysfunctional communication. Although language comprehension and semantic understanding involve an extensive brain network, Wernicke’s area modulates phonological and lexical recognition which supports the effective exchange of information.
Language and speech functions are complex processes driven by expansive neural networks of interacting cortical areas. According to Mesulam et al. (2015), neuronal activities within Wernicke’s area facilitate the collaborative development of cognition and language understanding. In this regard, Wernicke’s area is the target operational area of specific neurotransmitters which interlinks the signal exchange with the Broca area. Consequently, impairment in this region does not result in complete language dysfunction but leads to significant erosion in expressive abilities. However, the ease of generating connected speech is preserved, despite the absence of sensible content in utterances. Nasios et al. (2019) note that magnetic resonance imaging of people with aphasia reveals lesions in Wernicke’s area, disrupting comprehension capabilities. People with this challenge may also experience problems in recalling words, reading, and writing due to damaged brain functionality.
Speech and language development integrates the operations of multiple brain areas, including the Wernicke’s and Broca areas. While the latter is primarily involved in the regulation and functionality of receptive activities, the former is engaged in the synthesis and assignment of meaning to language. The Wernicke’s area operates collaboratively with the Broca area to support both the expressive and receptive aspects of communication. Impairment in the given area adversely erodes the effectiveness of communication.
References
Mesulam, M., Thompson, C. K., Weintraub, S., & Rogalski, E. J. (2015). The Wernicke conundrum and the anatomy of language comprehension in primary progressive aphasia. Brain, 138(8), 2423–2437.
Nasios, G., Dardiotis, E., & Messinis, L. (2019). From Broca and Wernicke to the neuromodulation era: Insights of brain language networks for neurorehabilitation. Behavioral Neurology, 2019(9894571).