The word aphasia comes from the Greek words a ("not") and phanai ("to speak"). The term was introduced by Armand Trousseau to describe the inabilty to express thought through speech. Certain brain disorders can result in aphasia, the loss of memory for words. ["Aphasia." 2000] There are two important locations in the brain related to the memory for words.

Broca's Area (left frontal lobe )

Related aphasia: expressive aphasia / motor aphasia
Description: Loss of memory of coordinated movements necessary for speaking or writing. The person cannot name the object even though he or she knows what it is. ("Aphasia." 2000)(Loftus, 1990)
Discovered: This brain region was discovered in the 1860's by a French doctor named Paul Broca. Dr. Broca found an injury in this part of the brain while performing an autopsy on a former patient who who had lost the power of speech, with the exception of a repetative syllable, died. This inability to speak anything but a repetitive random syllable is also called Broca's Aphasia and is usually a result of damage to Broca's Area . (Kurland and Lupoff, 1999, p. 62).

Wenicke's Area (left temporal lobe )

Related Aphasia: receptive / sensory aphasia
Description: Loss of memory of meaning of speech, writing, and other symbols. The person cannot understand spoken language. This is the result of damage in Wernicke's area. ["Aphasia." 2000](Loftus, 1990)
Discovered: German Neurologist Carl Wenicke (1848-1905) had several patients who could speak but they wouldn't make sense. They would use a variety of nonsense syllables in place of words. This form of aphasia is now referred to as Wenicke's Aphasia . Autopsies revealed abnormalities in another area of the brain, now called Wernicke's Area, close to that of Broca's.("Wernicke, Carl." 2000.)