Alexia and agraphia in Spanish

Abstract

Background Every language has certain specific idiosyncrasies in its writing system. Cross‐linguistic analyses of alexias and agraphias are fundamental to understand commonalities and differences in the brain organization of written language. Few reports of alexias and agraphias in the Spanish language are currently available. Aims To analyse the clinical manifestations of alexias and agraphias in Spanish, and the effect of demographic variables. Methods & Procedures Spanish versions of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) were used for language assessment. Lesion localization was obtained by using computed axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The final sample included 200 patients: 195 (97.5%) right‐handed and five (2.5%) left‐handed; 119 men and 81 women with a mean age of 57.37 years (SD = 15.56), education of 13.52 years (SD = 4.08), and mean time post‐onset of 6.58 months (SD = 12.94). Using the WAB, four quotients were calculated: aphasia quotient (AQ), reading–writing quotient (RWQ), language quotient (LQ) and cortical quotient (CQ). Outcomes & Results The types of aphasia were: global = 11 patients (5.5%), Broca = 31 (15.5%), Wernicke = 30 (15.0%), conduction = 22 (11.0%), transcortical sensory = 17 (8.5%), transcortical motor = 3 (1.5%), amnesic or anomic = 54 (27.0%) and mixed non‐fluent = 32 (16.0%). The degree of oral and written language impairment differed across the various aphasia types. Most severe reading and writing difficulties were found in global, mixed non‐fluent and transcortical motor aphasia; fewer difficulties were observed in amnesic, Broca and conduction aphasia. The severity of the written language impairments paralleled the severity of the oral language disturbances. Age negatively, while schooling positively, correlated with the scores in reading and writing tests. No effect of sex and time since onset was found. Conclusions & Implications In Spanish‐speaking aphasia patients, difficulties in reading and writing are similar to oral language difficulties. This similarity of performance is mostly based on severity rather than the participants’ patterns of errors.

Determining levels of linguistic deficit by applying cluster analysis to the aphasia quotient of Western Aphasia Battery in post-stroke aphasia

“…The original version of WAB was designed based on the BDAE, accompanying certain system continuity 10 . Subsequently, various versions of WAB appeared in the study for the population with the linguistic deficit in different countries, languages, and diseases 18 – 20 . The severity of initial aphasia is closely related to the prognosis, which has been confirmed long ago 21 .…”

Meta-analysis and systematic review of the relationship between sex and the risk or incidence of poststroke aphasia and its types

“…Global aphasia is the most common PSA type [ 4 , 13 ]. Due to the connectivity of the whole brain language network and the abnormal connection mode of key language intervals, its language fluency, listening comprehension and retelling ability are poor, which is the most serious aphasia [ 35 ]. The language fluency of different sexes is affected by the volume and density of gray matter [ 57 ].…”

Neuropsychological Diagnosis and Assessment of Alexia: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…3 [39] To analyze the clinical manifestations of alexias and agraphias in Spanish and the effect of demographic variables.…”

“…Cross-linguistic and cultural considerations, too, play a pivotal role in the neuropsychological landscape of alexia. Research in this arena has shed light on how alexia presents itself across different languages, taking into account the idiosyncrasies of various writing systems [39]. Another researcher further expanded this knowledge base by detailing how the dissociated reading and writing performance in Japanese kanji and kana scripts offer a window into the partially separable mechanisms undergirding these writing systems [45].…”

“…Research reflects on the influence of language-specific factors, such as script complexity and orthography, on the neuropsychological assessment and diagnosis of alexia. [39,45] Visual Processing and Perceptual Deficits Focusing on the visual aspects of reading and the perceptual deficits that may underlie alexic disorders, such as crowding or hemianopic disturbances.…”