Expressive aphasia after a stroke most likely indicates damage to which hemisphere?

• A. Right hemisphere is dominant for language in most people
• B. Left hemisphere is dominant for language in most people
• C. Brainstem
• D. Cerebellum

Answer: (B)

Expressive aphasia occurs when speech production is disrupted, while language comprehension is relatively preserved. This points to damage in the brain’s language production center, Broca’s area, which sits in the left inferior frontal gyrus. In most people, language is left-hemisphere dominant, so a stroke in the left hemisphere commonly causes expressive aphasia. Damage to the brainstem or cerebellum doesn’t selectively impair speech production in the same way, and if language were right-dominant (rare), the right hemisphere would be implicated. Thus the left hemisphere is the most likely site.