Some aspects of semantic-lexical impairment in aphasia

Naming disorders of aphasic patients have generally been considered as resulting from an impairment of the ‘peripheral’ mechanisms connecting the central semantic system with the cortical structures subsuming perceptual and motor operations. In recent years, however, some investigators have suggested that semantic-lexical disorders of aphasic patients may be due to a disruption of the semantic system itself. The results of some personal investigations supporting this last view are reported and two alternative (or complementary) interpretations are advanced to explain the central semantic disorder of aphasic patients. These interpretations assume: (a) a disruption of the information stored in each semantic representation; (b) a disorganization of the mechanisms subsuming semantic storage and semantic retrieval.