This mnemonic comes from a neuropsychiatrist that I met during clerkships and is useful for remembering aphasia syndromes. In reality, the anatomy is more complex and the syndromes are less clear cut. For the purposes of recalling which aphasias have fluent speech, intact repetition, etc., it is completely adequate.
Draw out the following model of the speech and cognition pathways, called the Wernicke-Lichtheim Model.
Now check out these handy additions:
The red additions indicate the function that will be lost if there is a lesion along the associated path. For example, there is a lesion to Wernicke's Area, comprehension, repetition, and spell checking are lost, but fluent speech will remain intact. What happens when you lose the ability to spell check your own speech? Paraphrasic errors.
Syndromes that can be named based on this model:
Hearing Loss
Wernicke's Aphasia
Transcortical Sensory Aphasia
Conductive Aphasia
Transcortical Motor Aphasia
Broca's Aphasia
Speech Motor Pathways
There is also 'global aphasia' in which none of this machinery is functional.
A few last tidbits:
Don't forget the eponym. Never forget the eponym. Wernicke-Lichtheim Model.
Traditionally, Broca's Area is Brodmann Area 44 (pars opercularis) and 45 (pars triangularis). Wernicke's Area is Area 22 (posterior superior temporal gyrus). They are connected by the arcuate fasciculus.
Language function is on the left in 96% of right handed people and 73% of left handed people. Source.
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