One of the most noticeable migraine symptoms is what we call the migraine babble: The words just don't come out the way you intended. Migraine speech problems can be attributed to migraine aura.
Doctors refer to this symptom as "transient aphasia," a temporary communication disorder characterized by word-finding difficulty.
Aphasia impairs one's ability to process language, both in written and spoken words. People with transient aphasia have trouble putting words together to speak or write, understanding what others are saying, and comprehending what they read. When they try to speak, words come out garbled and unintelligible.
Some people with migraine aphasia sound like they've lost their marbles or had too much to drink. Not so.
What Causes Transient Aphasia?
Aphasia usually results from damage to the left hemisphere of the brain. Many stroke victims suffer aphasia causing partial or complete loss of speech and difficulty with word-finding. Aphasia is the reason Bruce Willis had to step back from his career, and he is not the only celebrity to experience transient aphasia.
Certain types of migraine — specifically migraine with aura — can involve aphasia symptoms. Seizures ortransient ischemic attacks (TIA) can also cause temporary aphasia.
Aphasia Is a Migraine Symptom That Affects Language
Why does it happen?Amaal Starling MD, neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona,explainedthatwhen someone is having a migraine attack:
- They often feel like they aren't thinking clearly. There's some slowing of cognition.
- Other people may experience speech symptoms, a symptom calledaphasia: difficulty understanding language or expressing words.
- Some people may have dysarthria: slurred, garbled speech.
Never ignore migraine speech problems. If you're experiencing speech issues or trouble word-finding for the first time, contact a doctor or headache specialist to make sure it's not related to a more serious issue, such as a stroke.
If your friends tell you that you're talking gibberish, or if you find you can't get the words out, it could very well be a migraine symptom, regardless of whether you're having head pain at that time.
How the Community Feels About Aphasia During Migraine Attacks
We asked our community how they feel about the inability to express themselves during a migraine attack. Here's what they had to say:
It’s a horrible feeling wanting to speak and the words don’t come or they’re all slurred. — Lauren W.
Yes, very scary. I speak two languages and during an attack I cannot put words together. I usually point to things to communicate like a cavewoman! — Sandra R.
I often slur. I know what I’m trying to say, but I can’t get it out. — Dawn R.
Additionally, check out Julie H.'s Migraine Journey, where she describes experiencing transient aphasia while reading to her daughter.
What Type of Migraine Affects Speech?
Garbled speech can be part of the aura phase of migraine for some people. Aura symptoms happen before or during the headache phase of migraine.
Andrew Charles, MD, director of the Goldberg Migraine Program and professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles,shared that "not everyone experiences the migraine aura phase;aura affects approximately one-third of people with migraine. Aura symptoms typically last for several minutes for up to an hour and then resolve completely. Occasionally, they may last for more than an hour, and rarely may even last for days. An aura may affect the visual, sensory, language, and/or motor systems."
Dr. Starlingexplained to Migraine Again that the babble during the migraine aura phase can take different forms. For some, their cognition slows, and that causes them to trip over their words. Others, she says, experience speech symptoms like aphasia and dysarthria (slurred, garbled speech).
Hemiplegic Migraine
Hemiplegic migraine (a rare but severe subtype of migraine with aura) causes temporary paralysis — sometimes lasting several days —on one side of the body prior to or during a headache. Aura symptoms such as vertigo, a pricking or stabbing sensation, and problems seeing, speaking, or swallowing may begin prior to the headache pain and usually stop shortly thereafter.
The migraine speech problems that occur during hemiplegic migraine attacks sound like babble, which doctors call transient aphasia. Read about a woman's journey with hemiplegic migraine here.
Migraine With Brainstem Aura
Dysarthria is garbledor slurredspeech. Attacks that cause aura with dysarthriaare often diagnosed as migraine with brainstem aura (formerly basilar-type migraine).
Dr. Charlesshared with Migraine Againthat migraine with brainstem aura is believed to originate in the base of the brain, which is referred to as the brainstem. This can also result in:
- Dizziness (and vertigo)
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Back and forth movements of the eyes (nystagmus)
- Significant incoordination that is not associated with weakness (ataxia)
When to See a Doctor
Speech difficulties can be a symptom of any of these three migraine subtypes (migraine with aura, hemiplegic migraine, or migraine with brainstem aura.) It is an urgent and significant symptom if it has not already been diagnosed. If your speech is ever garbled, discuss it with your doctor to rule out any other neurological causes and to better diagnose your migraine type.
Aside from migraine, temporary aphasia can also be due to seizures or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). A TIA occurs when blood flow is temporarily blocked to an area of the brain. People who've had a TIA are at an increased risk of having a stroke in the near future.
Transient Aphasia Is Frustrating, but It's Not Your Fault
Difficulty finding the right word can be one of the more scary, embarrassing, and frustrating migraine symptoms. Not to mention that it usually comes with blinding pain,an upset stomach, possible visual aura symptoms, and a host of other debilitating symptoms. Don't forget that it's not your faultand try to give yourself some grace.
Thankfully, in most cases, the migraine babble is not a dangerous symptom. Just be sure to see a doctor if it's the first time you're experiencing aphasia symptoms.
Holly Gerring-Leone contributed to this article.
