Nonfluent aphasia characterized by preserved repetition and relatively preserved language comprehension. Nonfluent aphasia characterized by preserved repetition and relatively preserved language comprehension. Patients with transcortical motor aphasia often have echolalia in the setting of an otherwise nonfluent speech. Lesions are typically vascular and involve the area superior or anterior to Broca’s area or the supplementary motor area.
The principal difference between transcortical motor aphasia and Broca’s aphasia is in verbal repetition, which is possible in the former and impaired in the latter. Patients with transcortical motor aphasia often have echolalia in the setting of an otherwise nonfluent speech. Lesions are almost invariably located outside Broca’s area, either anteriorly or superiorly, either deep in the left frontal substance or in the cortex.