Alexia is a cognitive disorder where patients lose the ability to recognize written words and sentences due to disruptions in brain functions. It commonly develops in Alzheimer’s patients and has no known cure. Using short words and sentences could delay total misunderstanding. Alexia could occur with or without aphasia and agraphia, which are other common cognitive disorders that develop in Alzheimer’s patients. Medical professionals prefer one-on-one conversation in a quiet place and using simple words to help the patient understand written or spoken language.
Alexia represents an acquired cognitive disorder when a patient loses the ability to recognize written words and sentences. The condition results from disruptions in brain functions that control text and language processing. It commonly develops in Alzheimer’s patients, as well as from brain injuries, strokes, and some forms of dementia. There is no known cure for this progressive disorder, but using short words and sentences could delay total misunderstanding.
Activation of the occipital and temporal regions of the brain allows for the processing of the letters that form words and the relationship of words in a sentence. In a person suffering from alexia, words cannot be processed as a unit and lose their meaning. Pure alexia, also called word blindness, means that words and phrases have no meaning and become completely unrecognizable.
Alexia could occur with or without two other common cognitive disorders that develop in Alzheimer’s patients. Aphasia refers to a loss of verbal communication that commonly affects people with alexia. Agraphia is the inability to write words or sentences, which is another cognitive disorder that typically occurs with alexia.
Patients with aphasia usually cannot express the words they want to use in verbal communication. Sometimes they provide alternative words to help explain what they are trying to say. Alzheimer’s patients might also invent a word, called a neologism, that actually has no meaning. As aphasia progresses, the patient’s speech may become gibberish and unintelligible. He or she may stop talking completely and become unable to verbalize thoughts.
Signs of alexia with aphasia include mispronouncing words or using words that don’t belong in a sentence. The condition could prevent a person from understanding a story or participating in a normal conversation. He or she may not understand puns or tongue-in-cheek humor and become confused by sentences that contain more than one idea or concept.
Alexia and agraphia usually occur in tandem as brain function declines. A patient may lose the ability to write simple words or use meaningless words in a written sentence. A simple task, such as writing a check, may take a long time as the patient tries to turn the letters into words. As agraphia progresses, some people lose the ability to sign their name.
Medical professionals who work with Alzheimer’s patients typically prefer one-on-one conversation in a quiet place to help the patient understand written or spoken language. Speaking slowly and using simple words may help the patient recognize what is being said. Other helpful tactics include pausing between sentences and sticking to one topic at a time while making eye contact with the patient.
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