(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Actor Bruce Willis is stepping away from his acting career after he was diagnosed with aphasia.
But what is the condition?
Dr. Ian Grant, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern Medicine, said aphasia is a catch-all term that describes a specific symptom.
"That symptom is difficulty in communication," Grant said. "What things might look like for an individual going forward with that diagnosis depends on what the underlying issue is."
He said that the most common causes of aphasia are a stroke or brain injury. He added that aphasia can also be the result of an underlying neurological condition.
He said patients who are diagnosed with an aphasia are referred to a speech pathologist for therapy, “to help them work around or compensate for the changes in their speech so they can communicate a bit more effectively.”
Dr. Grant said music therapy can help under some circumstances. A person who may have a hard time putting words together in conversation may be able to use music to link words together.
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