A 58-year-old man presents with fluent but meaningless speech, severely impaired comprehension, and inability to repeat spoken phrases. There is no limb weakness. The lesion is most likely located in which area?

• A Left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area)
• B Left precentral gyrus
• C Left angular gyrus
• D Left posterior superior temporal gyrus (Wernicke's area) ✓

Explanation

Wernicke's aphasia results from damage to the left posterior superior temporal gyrus. Speech is fluent but nonsensical with poor comprehension and repetition. Broca's area damage causes non-fluent aphasia with preserved comprehension. Angular gyrus lesions cause Gerstmann syndrome (acalculia, agraphia, finger agnosia). Precentral gyrus lesions cause contralateral weakness, not aphasia. The fluent nature of speech distinguishes Wernicke's from Broca's aphasia.

Reference: Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology, 26th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.