Editing Aphasiology (section)

===Receptive aphasia===
{{Main article|Receptive aphasia}}
Receptive aphasia was originally described by the German neurologist [[Karl Wernicke]], a contemporary of Broca.  Receptive aphasics produce speech that seems fluent and grammatical, but is largely devoid of sensible content.  Comprehension is severely impaired, but while patients display a great deal of difficulty comprehending individual words, they can more easily understand words in context.<ref name="Helm-Estabrooks 2004" />  Receptive aphasia is associated with the posterior third of the [[superior temporal gyrus]] in the distribution of the inferior division of the [[middle cerebral artery]],<ref name="Helm-Estabrooks 2004" /> known as "[[Wernicke's area]]", an area adjacent to the [[Cerebral cortex|cortex]] responsible for auditory processing.  If the damage extends posteriorly, visual connections are disrupted, and the patient will have difficulty understanding written language. Therefore, the localization of the two best-known aphasias mirrors the grossest dichotomy in brain organization:  anterior areas are specialized for motor output, and posterior areas for sensory processing.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

A fascinating corollary of this has come from research on aphasias in deaf users of sign language, who show deficits in signing and comprehension analogous to Expressive and Receptive aphasias in hearing populations.  These studies demonstrate that the grammatical functions of Broca's area and the semantic functions of Wernicke's area are indeed deep, abstract properties of the language system independent of its modality of expression.{{cn|date=January 2024}}