What is the most common cause of apraxia of speech?

• A. Primary injury to the perisylvian area of the left hemisphere due to stroke
• B. Degenerative disease
• C. Trauma
• D. Tumor

Answer: (A)

Apraxia of speech stems from a disruption in planning the sequence of movements for speech. The most common trigger is a stroke that injures the left perisylvian cortex, the brain region specialized for planning and programming how we articulate sounds and words. When this network is damaged, the brain struggles to organize the precise, orderly movements of the lips, tongue, and jaw needed for fluent speech, producing the characteristic speech planning errors of AOS.

Other causes like degenerative diseases, trauma, or tumors can produce speech motor problems as well, but they are less commonly the primary cause of AOS. Degenerative conditions can lead to progressive apraxia of speech, and trauma or a tumor can cause focal damage, but the acute left perisylvian stroke remains the most frequent source of this disorder.