The effects of a stroke will differ based on where it occurs. So, what is affected by a stroke on the left side of the brain?
Depending on the severity of the stroke, a stroke on the left side of the brain may lead you to experience paralysis or impaired mobility on the right side of the body. It’ll also affect your ability to speak and understand languages, your memory, and your behavior.
The Two Hemispheres
Your experience after a stroke changes depend on what part of your brain is damaged. For example, those who have a stroke occur on the right side of the brain will experience impaired mobility on the opposite side of their body (the left-side), whilst those who experience a left-brain stroke will experience it on the right side of their body.
Since each part of the brain controls different things, it’s only to be expected that the side-effects will look a lot different based on what hemisphere is affected — which brings us back to our initial question. What does the left side of the brain control? And, how does damage to it affect the body?
Left-Hemisphere of the Brain
The left hemisphere of the brain controls a person’s ability to speak and control language. It’s also described as the part of the brain that allows you to perform tasks based on logic (like solving mathematical questions or understanding scientific theories.)
When the left side of the brain is affected by a stroke, these are the side-effects that follow…
- Aphasia: This is a language problem that affects a person’s ability to speak, listen, read, write, understand speech or written words, etc.
- Apraxia: Loss of ability to move your body purposefully.
- Verbal Apraxia: The inability to move your mouth to form any words or sounds.
- Hemiplegia: This is what they call the sudden loss of mobility (or weakness) that occurs on one side of the body after a stroke. For those who incur a left-brain stroke, hemiplegia occurs on the right side of the body.
- Hemineglect: Another common effect of a stroke, this time, presenting itself as the sudden inability to become aware of what’s happening on one side of their body — again, for those who have their strokes occur on the left side of the brain, hemineglect affects the right side of the body.
- Hemianopia: This describes the sudden loss of vision on one eye — for left-brain strokes, loss of vision occurs on the right eye.
Whatever side of the brain has been affected by your stroke, recovery is always a possibility. There are ways of rehabilitating your body in order to overcome the apraxia and aphasia that may occur if it’s the left side of the brain that is affected, and the same goes for any damage that may occur on the other side of your brain.