[Insufficient excitation for speech in focal lesions of non-specific brain structures]

On the basis of a study of 150 patients with focal lesions of the mesencephalo-diencephalic brain areas the authors discuss speech disorders, appearing due to disturbances in the functions of the activating nonspecific systems. They indicate that these speech disorders are conditioned by an insufficiency of speech volition. However, in communicative important situations for the patient they can be overcome. In development of mesencephalodiencephalic pathology the syndrome of insufficient speech volition may be transmitted into a clinical picture of akinetic mutism. The problem of differentiation of insufficiency speech volition is being discussed in relation to lesions on different levels of the activizing nonspecific system and the accompanying drop of speech activity of the motor-aphatic and disarthric disorders.