Which term describes the loss of the ability to understand or express speech due to brain damage?

• A. Aphasia
• B. Amnesia
• C. Anomia
• D. Dysarthria

Answer: (A)

Aphasia is a language impairment that results from brain damage and affects the ability to understand or express speech. It typically involves damage to language-dominant areas of the brain, such as after a stroke or head injury, and can impact both comprehension and fluent speech. Amnesia refers to memory loss, not language processing. Anomia is trouble naming objects or finding words, which can occur with aphasia but is specifically a word-finding difficulty rather than a loss of language abilities overall. Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder where the muscles used for speaking are weakened or poorly coordinated, causing slurred or slow speech while the language itself remains intact.