Herpes Simplex Encephalitis: Aphasia

10/02/02

Question: what are the characteristics and likelihood for language recovery, for aphasia as a complication of herpes simplex (HSV) encephalitis?

 Link Directly to Fulltext Article at Science Direct

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Unique Identifier:11440751

Authors: Okuda B. Kawabata K. Tachibana H. Sugita M. Tanaka H.

Institution: Fifth Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya 663-8501, Japan. c-okuda@eph.pref.ehime.jp

Title: Postencephalitic pure anomic aphasia: 2-year follow-up.

Source: Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 187(1-2):99-102, 2001 Jun 15.

Abstract: We report a patient with pure anomic aphasia following encephalitis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed bilateral temporal lesions, and subsequent focal atrophy in the left anterior inferior temporal lobe. Over the course of a 2-year follow-up, the patient's naming difficulty persisted without other dysfunction of language or memory. These observations indicate a contribution of the left anterior inferior temporal region to object naming.

 Link Directly to Fulltext Article at Science Direct

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Unique Identifier:8888055

Authors: Ku A. Lachmann EA. Nagler W.

Institution: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York, USA.

Title: Selective language aphasia from herpes simplex encephalitis.

Source: Pediatric Neurology. 15(2):169-71, 1996 Sep.

Abstract: We report the case of a 16-year-old right-handed Chinese/English bilingual patient who developed herpes simplex encephalitis involving the left temporal lobe, with resultant aphasia. His native language was Mandarin, but he had received extensive training in English for 6 years after moving to the United States and was fluent in English. One week after admission, he could not speak, comprehend, repeat, name, read, or write in English, but he had relative preservation of most of these facilities in Mandarin. He could not write in Mandarin, and his syntax was simplified. Two months later, along with intensive bilingual speech therapy, his reading, writing, and naming in English had almost recovered.