In late March, world-famous superstar Bruce Willis announced he’s retiring from acting after receiving a diagnosis of aphasia. Neurological diseases like these are very common yet remain relatively unknown in our day-to-day lives. So, what is aphasia?
Bruce Willis will no doubt be remembered for his massive career of making action movies, but his celebrity status is also helping spotlight this neurological disease.
Aphasia is typically a result of some form of trauma to the brain and leaves the individual struggling with cognitive or motor difficulties involving language. Aphasia comes in three different forms:
- Broca’s aphasia deals with the motor skills needed to physically speak. Individuals diagnosed with this kind of aphasia struggle with forming words and sentences, even though they can usually understand what’s said to them. They often seem like what they want to say is on the tip of their tongue and just out of reach.
- Wernicke’s aphasia is where an individual has cognitive issues and misunderstands language. They can speak fluently and easily, but it doesn’t make much sense as they string together sentences with a jumbled assortment of random words and even made-up words. They often seem confused, and are confusing to those around them.
- Lastly there’s global aphasia, where an individual may combat both cognitive and motor-skill functions related to language.
Aphasia and other neurological disorders are often diagnosed after a severe trauma event, like a stroke. While we don’t know yet what may have caused Bruce’s aphasia, we can use this moment to learn a bit about strokes.
- Ischemic stroke occurs when some lodged bit of fat or plaque in the bloodstream causes a blockage in the brain or disrupts the flow of blood or oxygen.
- Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and disrupts the regular flow of blood to the brain.
Luckily the brain is fairly plastic, and there are many advanced types of therapy available to help some stroke survivors have a chance at regaining some aspects of their communication and cognitive functions. Recognizing signs and symptoms of strokes, and getting help FAST, can improve outcomes.
Maintaining good blood pressure, exercise and healthy eating habits have been associated with a lower chance of having a stroke. Science has helped offer a lot of knowledge on the things that matter the most, especially our health.
