Language Problem Symptoms in Glioblastoma

According to the International Radiosurgery Association, brain tumors of the glial cells (glioblastomas) account for about 2 percent of all cancer diagnoses in the United States. Glial cells nourish the functional parts of the brain. Some tumors are said to be "primary," having originated in the brain itself. Others are "secondary," having originated in a different part of the body and traveled (metastasized) to the brain. The causes for these tumors vary, and they include genetics and environmental exposures to cancer-causing agents. Depending on the site of the tumor, speech symptoms may be present to varying degrees, the most common being aphasia.

Expressive Aphasia

• Expressive aphasia is the inability to convey thoughts through the use of words, either through speech or any other form of expression. This is because the area of the brain that is charged with expression is affected. A person with expressive aphasia will usually speak "gibberish" or nonsensical phrases. In the most severe cases, speech and other forms of expression, like writing or even sign language, will be impaired altogether.

Receptive Aphasia

• Receptive aphasia is the inability of a person to understand written or spoken communication. A person with this symptom will not make sense of words written down for him or spoken to him in any language. In the most severe cases, a person with receptive aphasia will not be able to understand any form of communication, including diagrams or pictures. This is because the area of the brain charged with "translating" words and other expressions into meaning is affected.

Hypergraphia

• A rare language symptom of glioblastoma and other brain tumors is hyerpgraphia, the uncontrollable urge to write. However, a person with a brain malignancy experiencing hypergraphia does not write fluently or in understandable terms. The cause for this symptom may be stimulation to the "creative" area of the brain along with blockage of the expressive area of the brain, leading to someone who wants to write or express herself excessively but cannot.

Agraphia

• On the other end of hypergraphia, and very similar to expressive aphasia, is agraphia. This is the inability to write. A person with agraphia can speak and communicate expressively, but he cannot write. While writing and expression are located in nearby areas of the brain, only the writing area may be affected. In any kind of brain damage, a one-cell difference may make all the difference in how the symptoms of said damage manifest themselves.