Damage to which region results in non-fluent or 'broken' speech?

• A. Broca's area
• B. Wernicke's area
• C. Hippocampus
• D. Cerebellum

Answer: (A)

Non-fluent or “broken” speech points to a disruption of language production. Broca's area, located in the left inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe, coordinates the motor aspects of speech and its grammar. When this region is damaged, speech becomes slow, halting, and telegraphic—classic expressive aphasia—while understanding speech is relatively preserved. By comparison, Wernicke's area deals with language comprehension, so damage there leads to fluent but nonsensical speech with poor comprehension. The hippocampus is essential for memory formation, not speech production, and the cerebellum affects motor coordination and timing, which can alter articulation but not the characteristic non-fluent speech pattern associated with Broca's area damage.