What type of aphasia is characterized by significant impairment in both expressive and receptive language?

Global aphasia is characterized by significant impairment in both expressive and receptive language abilities. Individuals with global aphasia exhibit severe difficulties in speaking, understanding spoken language, reading, and writing. This type of aphasia typically arises from extensive damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, particularly affecting areas responsible for language processing such as Broca's and Wernicke's areas.

In contrast, Broca's aphasia is primarily associated with challenges in speech production while comprehension remains relatively intact. Wernicke's aphasia is marked by fluent speech that lacks meaningful content, often accompanied by difficulties in comprehension. Transcortical aphasia, on the other hand, can vary but typically includes preserved repetition abilities, distinguishing it from the more generalized language impairments seen in global aphasia.

Understanding these distinctions helps to clarify why global aphasia is the correct answer to the question, highlighting the comprehensive impact this type of aphasia has on both expressive and receptive language functions.