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Utilizing Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Improve Language Function in Stroke Patients with Chronic Non-fluent Aphasia
Published on: July 2, 2013
Recurrent Wernicke's aphasia: migraine and not stroke!
Nishant Kumar Mishra1, Andrea O Rossetti, André Ménétrey
1Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Lausanne, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Headache
|May 22, 2009
Summary
Recurrent migraine can manifest as Wernicke's aphasia, a language disorder. This case study links aphasia episodes to cortical spreading depression, not stroke, in migraine patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Migraine is a common neurological disorder often associated with sensory disturbances.
- Aphasia, a language impairment, is typically linked to cerebrovascular events like stroke.
- Recurrent aphasia as an initial migraine symptom is rare and requires careful differential diagnosis.
Observation:
- A 40-year-old woman with recurrent migraine presented with acute Wernicke's aphasia.
- Standardized language assessment confirmed fluent aphasia.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) ruled out parenchymal or vascular brain lesions.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) revealed delta and theta slowing in the left posterior temporal region.
Findings:
- The patient's aphasia episodes were recurrent and associated with her migraine.
- EEG findings suggested cortical dysfunction.
- The clinical presentation and diagnostic workup indicated cortical spreading depression as the cause of aphasia, not stroke.
Implications:
- This case highlights the importance of considering migraine-related phenomena, such as cortical spreading depression, in the differential diagnosis of acute aphasia.
- Understanding the link between migraine and transient neurological deficits like aphasia can improve patient management and diagnostic accuracy.
- Further research into the neurophysiological mechanisms of migraine-induced aphasia is warranted.
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