Subcortical aphasia after ischemic stroke on basal ganglia of the left hemisphere

We present a case of an 80-year-old woman who had a brain infarction located primarily in basal ganglia in the left hemisphere. The patient presented with substantial motor and sensory aphasia and right-sided weakness secondary to cardiac embolism. The cortical and subcortical-cortical lesions were excluded by neuroimaging (MRI and CT) studies. The clinical picture of this subcortical aphasia is accompanied by dysarthria and hypophonia. The case described corresponds with expected subcortical aphasia symptoms, confirming importance of basal ganglia in language programming processes.