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Mind & Mood
What you need to know about aphasia
- By Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
The language disorder stems from various types of brain damage.
When the family of Bruce Willis shared in March 2022 that the actor was ending his career due to aphasia, a language disorder, fans expressed their sadness and respect. Here was a blockbuster film hero showing real-life courage in revealing his illness. The news also sparked worldwide interest in aphasia, a disorder that had been unfamiliar to most people.
What is aphasia?
Aphasia results from brain damage. This might be from a stroke (disruption of blood to the brain), tumor, head injury, brain infection, or progressive neurological disease (such as Alzheimer’s).
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