What part of the brain is damaged during a stroke that impairs speech?

Answer 1

Speech impairment (aphasia) caused by stroke is mostly associated with damage to the Broca's area in the brain. This type of aphasia is called Broca's aphasia. However, many other types of aphasia may arise from neurological damage. Check the Wikipedia page for 'Aphasia' for more details.

Answer 2

If you damage Broca's Area in the left front part of your brain, you do not have difficulty speaking. You can articulate words as easy as you could before. Instead, you will have horrible difficulty thinking of what word to say. You will look at someone with a blank look as you try to think of a few words to use to answer their question. When you go to a restaurant, you look over the menu and read your first, second, and third choice. Then when the waitress comes, you will know what to say and you will not need to think about how to say them if she rejects your first choice. You practice speaking answers to standard questions so you will not be caught by surprise. That way if you are asked them, you can blurt them out without needing to think about an answer. You dread the unexpected question. You go um, um, um, while you occupy time as other areas of your brain that have taken over for Broca's area slowly come up with an answer that a 5 year old could answer in a second.

Answer 3

Aphasic speech patterns may be the result of damage to either Wernicke's area which is a functional area on the temporal lobe and damage to this area produces receptive speech aphasia or damage may by to Broca's area which is a functional area on the frontal lobe and damage to this area produces expressive speech aphasia.