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Receptive aphasia

2025-09-13T03:23:48Z

2600:1004:A031:74C:AC27:4BBF:6AA9:E30B: /* Signs and symptoms */

{{Short description|Language disorder involving inability to understand language}}
{{Distinguish|Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome|expressive aphasia}}

{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name = Receptive aphasia
| synonyms = Wernicke's aphasia, fluent aphasia, sensory aphasia
| image = Brain - Broca's and Wernicke's area Diagram.svg
| caption = [[Broca's area]] and [[Wernicke's area]]
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'''Wernicke's aphasia''', also known as '''receptive aphasia''',<ref name="Nakai_2017">{{cite journal|last2=Jeong|first2=JW|last3=Brown|first3=EC|last4=Rothermel|first4=R|last5=Kojima|first5=K|last6=Kambara|first6=T|last7=Shah|first7=A|last8=Mittal|first8=S|last9=Sood|first9=S|last10=Asano|first10=E|year=2017|title=Three- and four-dimensional mapping of speech and language in patients with epilepsy|journal=Brain|volume=140|issue=5|pages=1351–1370|doi=10.1093/brain/awx051|pmid=28334963|last1=Nakai|first1=Y|pmc=5405238}}</ref> '''sensory aphasia''', '''fluent aphasia''', or '''posterior aphasia''', is a type of [[aphasia]] in which individuals have difficulty understanding [[Written language|written]] and [[spoken language]].<ref name="Brookshire">{{cite book|last1=Brookshire|first1=Robert|title=Introduction to neurogenic communication disorders|date=2007|publisher=Mosby Elsevier|location=St. Louis, MO|edition=7th}}</ref> Patients with Wernicke's aphasia demonstrate fluent [[speech]], which is characterized by typical speech rate, intact [[syntactic]] abilities and effortless speech output.<ref name="Damasio">{{cite journal|last1=Damasio|first1=A.R.|title=Aphasia|journal=[[The New England Journal of Medicine]]|date=1992|volume=326|issue=8|pages=531–539|doi=10.1056/nejm199202203260806|pmid=1732792}}</ref> Writing often reflects speech in that it tends to lack content or meaning. In most cases, motor deficits (i.e. [[hemiparesis]]) do not occur in individuals with Wernicke's aphasia.<ref name="Murdoch">{{cite book|last1=Murdoch|first1=B.E.|title=Acquired Speech and Language Disorders: A Neuroanatomical and Functional Neurological Approach|url=https://archive.org/details/acquiredspeechla0000murd|url-access=registration|date=1990|publisher=Chapman and Hall|location=Baltimore, MD|pages=[https://archive.org/details/acquiredspeechla0000murd/page/73 73]–76|isbn=9780412334405 }}</ref> Therefore, they may produce a large amount of speech without much meaning. Individuals with Wernicke's aphasia often suffer of [[anosognosia]] – they are unaware of their errors in speech and do not realize their speech may lack meaning.<ref name="Chart">{{cite web|url=https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Aphasia/Common-Classifications-of-Aphasia/|title=Common Classifications of Aphasia|website=American Speech-Language-Hearing Association}}</ref> They typically remain unaware of even their most profound language deficits.

Like many acquired language disorders, Wernicke's aphasia can be experienced in many different ways and to many different degrees. Patients diagnosed with Wernicke's aphasia can show severe language comprehension deficits; however, this is dependent on the severity and extent of the lesion.<ref name="Brookshire" /> Severity levels may range from being unable to understand even the simplest spoken and/or written information to missing minor details of a conversation.<ref name="Brookshire" /> Many diagnosed with Wernicke's aphasia have difficulty with repetition in words and sentences and/or working memory.<ref name="Chart" />

Wernicke's aphasia was named after German physician [[Carl Wernicke]], who is credited with discovering the area of the brain responsible for [[language comprehension]] ([[Wernicke's area]]) and discovery of the condition which results from a lesion to this brain area (Wernicke's aphasia).<ref name="NAA1" /> Although Wernicke's area (left posterior superior temporal cortex) is known as the language comprehension area of the brain, defining the exact region of the brain is a more complicated issue. A 2016 study aimed to determine the reliability of current brain models of the language center of the brain. After asking a group of neuroscientists what portion of the brain they consider to be Wernicke's area, results suggested that the classic "Wernicke-Lichtheim-Geschwind" model is no longer adequate for defining the language areas of the brain. This is because this model was created using an old understanding of human brain anatomy and does not take into consideration the cortical and subcortical structures responsible for language or the connectivity of brain areas necessary for production and comprehension of language. While there is not a well defined area of the brain for language comprehension, Wernicke's aphasia is a known condition causing difficulty with understanding language.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tremblay |first=Pascale |last2=Dick |first2=Anthony Steven |date=2016 |title=Broca and Wernicke are dead, or moving past the classic model of language neurobiology |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2016.08.004 |journal=Brain and Language |volume=162 |pages=60–71 |doi=10.1016/j.bandl.2016.08.004 |issn=0093-934X|hdl=20.500.11794/38881 |hdl-access=free |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Signs and symptoms==
The following are common symptoms seen in patients with Wernicke's aphasia:
* ''Impaired comprehension'': deficits in understanding (receptive) written and spoken language.<ref name="Brookshire" /> This is because Wernicke's area is responsible for assigning meaning to the language that is heard, so if it is damaged, the brain cannot comprehend the information that is being received.
* ''Poor word retrieval'': ability to retrieve target words is impaired.<ref name="Brookshire" /> This is also referred to as '''''anomia''''', and it is often classified into the following subsets:
** ''Word-selection anomia'': this type of anomia describes patients who know the function of a certain object, and can single out the target object from a larger group of objects, but they do not have the ability to name the object. For example when shown different clothes items and asked to select the one meant to keep their head warm, they will correctly select the hat, but will not be able to state the name of the object.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Devinsky |first=Orrin |title=Neurology of cognitive and behavioral disorders |last2=D'Esposito |first2=Mark |date=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-513764-4 |series=Contemporary neurology series |location=Oxford}}</ref> In some patients this type of anomia is specific to certain categories like colors or animals.
** ''Semantic anomia'': unlike patients with word-selection anomia, patients exhibiting semantic anomia also lose the ability to correctly distinguish the function or use of a given object, along with not being able to provide the name of it. Therefore, even provided with both the name and function of an object, these patients still would not be able to correctly select it out of a group.<ref name=":4" />
** ''Disconnection anomia or modality-specific anomia'': this subset of anomia affects patients' ability to name or distinguish objects if they are presented through a certain sensory modality, and is caused by a disconnect between the given sensory cortex and the language centers of the brain. For example, a patient may be able to distinguish an apple from a banana when presented with their given smells, but not when they are presented the objects through only touch.<ref name=":4" />
** ''Phonemic substitution anomia'': describes patients that exhibit paraphasia when trying to name objects. This can result in patients either selecting incorrect phonemes, such as saying 'bad' when shown an image of a 'bat', or they may simply try to use non-real words, or neologisms.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Benson |first=D. Frank |date=August 1991 |title=What's in a Name? |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0025619612612063 |journal=Mayo Clinic Proceedings |language=en |volume=66 |issue=8 |pages=865–867 |doi=10.1016/S0025-6196(12)61206-3|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* ''[[Neologism#Other uses|Neologisms]]'': Neologism is a Greek-derived word meaning "new word". The term is used in this sense to mean invented non-words that have no relation to the target word.<ref name="Brookshire" />
** E.g. "dorflur" for "shoe"
* ''Production of jargon'': speech that lacks content, consists of typical intonation, and is structurally intact.<ref name="Jargon">{{cite web |title=ASHA Glossary |url=https://www.asha.org/Glossary/Jargon/ |website=American Speech-Language-Hearing Association}}</ref> Jargon can consist of a string of neologisms, as well as a combination of real words that do not make sense together in context. The jargon may include [[word salad]]s.
* ''Fluent speech'': individuals with Wernicke's aphasia do not have difficulty with producing connected speech that flows.<ref name="NAA1">{{cite web|title=Wernicke's (Receptive) Aphasia|url=https://www.aphasia.org/aphasia-resources/wernickes-aphasia/|website=National Aphasia Association}}</ref> Although the connection of the words may be appropriate, the words they are using may not belong together or make sense (Jargon).<ref>{{cite web|title=Types of Aphasia|url=http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/RegainingIndependence/CommunicationChallenges/Types-of-Aphasia_UCM_310096_Article.jsp|website=American Stroke Association|access-date=2017-11-08|archive-date=2018-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128103027/http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/RegainingIndependence/CommunicationChallenges/Types-of-Aphasia_UCM_310096_Article.jsp|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some patients with Wernicke's Aphasia experience [[Logorrhea (psychology)|logorrhea]], which is also known as over fluency. These patients use an excessive amount of words when speaking or writing.<ref>{{Citation |last=Chadwick |first=Ruth |title=Preface |date=2012 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-373932-2.09005-0 |work=Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics |pages=xxv |access-date=2023-11-26 |publisher=Elsevier}}</ref>
* ''Awareness'': Individuals with Wernicke's aphasia are often not aware of their incorrect productions, which would further explain why they do not correct themselves when they produce jargon, paraphasias, or neologisms.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aphasia Definitions|url=https://www.aphasia.org/aphasia-definitions/|website=National Aphasia Association}}</ref> Additionally, patients may become irritated or frustrated because others cannot understand what they are saying, but they believe their speech is completely comprehensible.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Acharya |first=Aninda |last2=Wroten |first2=Michael |date=2023 |title=Wernicke Aphasia |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441951/ |website=National Library of Medicine}}</ref>
* ''Paraphasias'':<ref name="Brookshire" /><ref name="Damasio" />
** ''Phonemic'' (literal) ''paraphasia'': Errors in selecting phonemes. Involves the substitution, addition, omission, or rearrangement of sounds so that an error can be defined as sounding like the target word. Often, half of the word is still intact which allows for easy comparison to the appropriate, original word (E.g. "bap" for "map"). The more phonemic paraphasias in a word, the harder it is to understand, to the extent at which may become unidentifiable. Often, these unidentifiable words are known as neologisms.
** ''Semantic'' (verbal) ''paraphasia'': Failure to select the proper words with which to convey their ideas. The word used is always a real word, however it may not always be directly or closely related to the word the patient is trying to convey. Can result in saying a word that is related to the target word in meaning or category (E.g. "jet" for "helicopter" or "knife" for "fork"). Other times, semantic paraphasias can result in empty speech, or the use of overly generic words such as "thing" or "stuff" to stand in for the word they cannot come up with. This leads to speech that contains real words but lacks any substantial meaning.
* ''Circumlocution'': talking around the target word.<ref name="Brookshire" />
** E.g. "uhhh it's white... it's flat... you write on it..." (when referencing paper)
* ''Pressured speech'': Wernicke's patient's inclination to run on their speech. Often described as an overabundance of speech. Common in Wernicke's patients due to the ease at which they produce speech, circumlocution, and lack of self-monitoring.
** E.g. a clinician asks, "What do you do at a supermarket?" And the individual responds with "Well, the supermarket is a place. It is a place with a lot of food. My favorite food is Italian food. At a supermarket, I buy different kinds of food. There are carts and baskets. Supermarkets have lots of customers, and workers..."
* ''Lack of hemiparesis'': typically, no motor deficits are seen with a localized lesion in Wernicke's area.<ref name="Murdoch" />
* ''Reduced retention span'': reduced ability to retain information for extended periods of time.<ref name="Brookshire" />
* ''Impairments in reading and writing'': impairments can be seen in both reading and writing with differing severity levels.<ref name="NAA1" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+Wernicke's Aphasia Symptom Checklist
!Symptom
!Patients with Wernicke's Aphasia
|-
|Comprehension of spoken material
|Impaired (can range from mild to severe)
|-
|Segmental phonology
|Impaired (phonemic paraphasia, neologisms, jargon)
|-
|Word selection
|Impaired (semantic paraphasia, empty speech)
|-
|Word semantics
|Normal
|-
|Fluency (production of speech)
|Normal or overly fluent (logorrhea)
|-
|Production of writing
|Normal
|-
|Use of function words
|Normal
|-
|Grammaticality
|Normal or mildly impaired (paragrammatism)
|-
|Repetition of what others say
|Impaired
|-
|Controversial proficiency
|Normal
|-
|Concern about impairment
|Little to none
|-
|Concern about errors in language
|Little to none
|-
|Short-term retention and recall of verbal materials
|Impaired
|}
'''Distinction from other types of aphasia/other conditions'''<ref name="Brookshire" />
* ''Expressive aphasia'' (non-fluent Broca's aphasia): this is generally considered the second main categorization of aphasia, where individuals have great difficulty forming complete sentences with generally only basic content words (leaving out words like "is" and "the"). Unlike Wernicke's aphasia, which causes patients to speak fluently, but producing a jumbled mix of nonsensical words, people with Broca's aphasia speak slowly, and typically in small sentences, yet they are much more able to convey the intended meaning of the sentence. Additionally, while people with Wernicke's aphasia typically are unaware of their confusing language and may get frustrated with the listener for not understanding them, people with Broca's aphasia are completely aware of their language difficulties and can sometimes become frustrated with themselves.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=What Is Wernicke's Aphasia? |url=https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-is-wernickes-aphasia |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=WebMD |language=en}}</ref>
* ''Global aphasia'': individuals have extreme difficulties with both expressive (producing language) and receptive (understanding language).
* ''[[Anomic aphasia]]'': the biggest hallmark is one's poor word-finding abilities; one's speech is fluent and appropriate, but full of circumlocutions (evident in both writing and speech).
* ''Conduction aphasia'': individuals can comprehend what is being said and are fluent in spontaneous speech, but they cannot repeat what is being said to them.
* ''Transcortical sensory aphasia'': individuals have impaired auditory comprehension with intact repetition and fluent speech.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Goldstein |first=Kurt |date=1948 |title=Language and language disturbances |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(194904)5:2<185::aid-jclp2270050218>3.0.co;2-l |journal=Journal of Clinical Psychology |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=185–185 |doi=10.1002/1097-4679(194904)5:2<185::aid-jclp2270050218>3.0.co;2-l |issn=0021-9762|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* ''Progressive confluent aphasia'': A form of frontotemporal dementia characterized by motor speech impairment, agrammatism, laborious speech, and apraxia of speech. It is understood that comprehension of speech and semantic memory are relatively preserved. Symptoms progress over time unlike many other aphasias where symptoms appear immediately after stroke.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ogar |first=Jennifer M. |last2=Dronkers |first2=Nina F. |last3=Brambati |first3=Simona M. |last4=Miller |first4=Bruce L. |last5=Gorno-Tempini |first5=Maria Luisa |date=2007 |title=Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia and Its Characteristic Motor Speech Deficits |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/wad.0b013e31815d19fe |journal=Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=S23–S30 |doi=10.1097/wad.0b013e31815d19fe |issn=0893-0341|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* [[Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome]]: A well described syndrome of neurological and cognitive problems that comprises both [[Wernicke encephalopathy|Wernicke's Encephalopathy]] (WE) and [[Korsakoff Syndrome]] (KS). It is often characterized by impairment in memory formation and is caused by long term thiamine deficiency.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Isenberg-Grzeda |first=Elie |last2=Kutner |first2=Haley E. |last3=Nicolson |first3=Stephen E. |date=2012 |title=Wernicke-Korsakoff-Syndrome: Under-Recognized and Under-Treated |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2012.04.008 |journal=Psychosomatics |volume=53 |issue=6 |pages=507–516 |doi=10.1016/j.psym.2012.04.008 |issn=0033-3182|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Causes==

The most common cause of Wernicke's aphasia is [[stroke]]. Strokes may occur when blood flow to the brain is completely interrupted or severely reduced. This has a direct effect on the amount of oxygen and nutrients being able to supply the brain, which causes brain cells to die within minutes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stroke|url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20350113|access-date=14 December 2020|website=Mayo Clinic|publisher=Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research}}</ref>

The most common stroke that causes Wernicke's Aphasia is an ischemic stroke affecting the posterior temporal lobe of the dominant hemisphere of the brain.<ref name=":1" />

"The middle cerebral arteries supply blood to the cortical areas involved in speech, language and swallowing. The left middle cerebral artery provides Broca's area, Wernicke's area, Heschl's gyrus, and the angular gyrus with blood".<ref name="McCaffrey">{{cite web|last1=McCaffrey|first1=P.|title=Medical aspects: Blood supply in the brain|url=https://www.csuchico.edu/~pmccaffrey/syllabi}}</ref> Therefore, in patients with Wernicke's aphasia, there is typically an occlusion to the left middle cerebral artery.<ref name="Brookshire" />

As a result of the occlusion in the left middle cerebral artery, Wernicke's aphasia is most commonly caused by a lesion in the posterior superior temporal gyrus (Wernicke's area).<ref name="Brookshire" /> This area is posterior to the primary auditory cortex (PAC) which is responsible for decoding individual speech sounds. Wernicke's primary responsibility is to assign meaning to these speech sounds. The extent of the lesion will determine the severity of the patients deficits related to language. Damage to the surrounding areas (perisylvian region) may also result in Wernicke's aphasia symptoms due to variation in individual neuroanatomical structure and any co-occurring damage in adjacent areas of the brain.<ref name="Brookshire" />

Another common cause of Wernicke's aphasia is encephalitis, specifically around the posterior superior temporal gyrus. Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain, which can be a result of infection, autoimmune disorders, or chronic substance abuse, among others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Encephalitis - Symptoms and causes |url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/encephalitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20356136 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Mayo Clinic |language=en}}</ref>

Other causes of Wernicke's Aphasia include brain trauma, cerebral tumors, central nervous system (CNS) infections, and degenerative brain disorders.<ref name=":1" />

In the case of brain tumors, infections, or degenerative brain disorders, examples in which damage to the brain can be ongoingly progressive, it is likely that the aphasia will coincidingly progress as well, and symptoms will worsen if the cause is not treated.

==Diagnosis==

Aphasia is usually first recognized by the physician who treats the person for his or her brain injury. Most individuals will undergo a [[magnetic resonance imaging]] (MRI) or [[computed tomography]] (CT) scan to confirm the presence of a brain injury and to identify its precise location.<ref name="NIDCD">{{cite web|title=Aphasia|url=https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/aphasia|website=National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)}}</ref> In circumstances where a person is showing possible signs of aphasia, the physician will refer him or her to a [[speech-language pathologist]] (SLP) for a comprehensive speech and language evaluation. SLPs will examine the individual's ability to express him or herself through speech, understand language in written and spoken forms, write independently, and perform socially.<ref name="NIDCD" />

The [[American Speech–Language–Hearing Association|American Speech, Language, Hearing Association]] (ASHA) states a comprehensive assessment should be conducted in order to analyze the patient's communication functioning on multiple levels; as well as the effect of possible communication deficits on activities of daily living. Typical components of an aphasia assessment include: case history, self report, oral-motor examination, language skills, identification of environmental and personal factors, and the assessment results. A comprehensive aphasia assessment includes both formal and informal measures.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Aphasia: Roles and responsibilities|url=https://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589934663&section=Roles_and_Responsibilities|website=American Speech-Language-Hearing Association}}</ref>

Formal assessments include:
* [[Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination]] (BDAE): diagnoses the presence and type of aphasia, focusing on location of lesion and the underlying linguistic processes.<ref name="Goodglass">{{cite book|last1=Goodglass|first1=H.|last2=Kaplan|first2=E.|last3=Barresi|first3=B.|title=Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination|date=2001|publisher=PRO-ED, Inc.|location=Austin, TX}}</ref>  
* [[Western Aphasia Battery]] – Revised (WAB): determines the presence, severity, and type of aphasia; and can also determine baseline abilities of patient.<ref name="WAB">{{cite book|last1=Kereesz|first1=A.|title=Western Aphasia Battery|date=2006|publisher=Pearson|location=San Antonio, TX}}</ref>
* Communication Activities of Daily Living - Second Edition (CADL-2): measures functional communication abilities; focuses on reading, writing, social interactions, and varying levels of communication.<ref name="CADL">{{cite book|last1=Holland|first1=A.L.|last2=Fromm|first2=D.|last3=Wozniak|first3=L.|title=Communication Activities in Daily Living (CADL-3)|date=2018|publisher=Brijan Resources|location=Alberta, Canada|edition=3rd}}</ref>
* Revised Token Test (RTT): assess receptive language and auditory comprehension; focuses on patient's ability to follow directions.<ref name="RTT">{{cite book|last1=McNeil|first1=M.M.|last2=Prescott|first2=T.E.|title=Revised Token Test|date=1978|publisher=PRO-ED, Inc.|location=Austin, TX}}</ref>

Informal assessments, which aid in the diagnosis of patients with suspected aphasia, include:<ref name="Assessment Tools">{{cite web|title=Assessment Tools, Techniques, and Data Sources|url=https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Late-Language-Emergence/Assessment-Tools-Techniques-and-Data-Sources/|website=American Speech-Language-Hearing Association}}</ref>
* Conversational speech and language sample<ref name="Assessment Tools" />
* Family interview<ref name="Assessment Tools" />
* Case history or medical chart review<ref name="Assessment Tools" />
* Behavioral observations<ref name="Assessment Tools" />

Diagnostic information should be scored and analyzed appropriately. Treatment plans and individual goals should be developed based on diagnostic information, as well as patient and caregiver needs, desires, and priorities.<ref name=":0" />

==Treatment==

There is currently no standardized treatment for Wernicke's Aphasia, meaning treatment varies from patient to patient depending on the severity of the lesion and the resulting deficits. In some patients, the first step of action is to attempt to treat the possible causes for the aphasia, such as removing a brain tumor, or treating a nervous system infection. This may not lessen the symptoms for the patient as damage to the brain is often already done, but it typically stops the aphasia from worsening. For the majority of patients with any kind of aphasia, speech and language therapy is the primary treatment. This focuses on improving language skills and learning how to communicate in various ways to allow their needs to be met. Since Wernicke's patients face comprehension deficits, they are often unaware of their condition and may pose unique challenges for their treatment because of this lack of awareness or concern for their deficit. Treatment plans are usually devised by a team of healthcare workers including a speech therapist, neuropsychologist, and a neurologist.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Hartwigsen |first=Gesa |date=2015 |title=The neurophysiology of language: Insights from non-invasive brain stimulation in the healthy human brain |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2014.10.007 |journal=Brain and Language |volume=148 |pages=81–94 |doi=10.1016/j.bandl.2014.10.007 |issn=0093-934X|doi-access=free |hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-0028-AADC-A |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Bonilha |first=Leonardo |last2=Fridriksson |first2=Julius |date=2017 |title=Home-based therapy for chronic Wernicke's aphasia |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2017-315842 |journal=Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry |volume=88 |issue=7 |pages=539–539 |doi=10.1136/jnnp-2017-315842 |issn=0022-3050|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

According to Bates et al. (2005), "the primary goal of rehabilitation is to prevent complications, minimize impairments, and maximize function". The topics of intensity and timing of intervention are widely debated across various fields.<ref name="Bates">{{cite journal|last1=Bates|first1=B.|last2=Choi|first2=J.|last3=Duncan|first3=P.W.|last4=Glasberg|first4=J.J.|last5=Graham|first5=G.D.|last6=Katz|first6=R.C....|last7=Zorowitz|first7=R.|title=Veterans affairs/department of defense clinical practice guideline for the management of adult stroke rehabilitation care|journal=Stroke|date=2005|volume=36|issue=9|pages=2049–2056|doi=10.1161/01.STR.0000180432.73724.AD|pmid=16120847|doi-access=free}}</ref> Results are contradictory: some studies indicate better outcomes with early intervention,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bhogal|first1=S.K.|last2=Teasell|first2=R.|last3=Speechley|first3=M.|title=Intensity of aphasia therapy, impact on recovery|journal=Stroke|date=2003|volume=34|issue=4|pages=987–993|doi=10.1161/01.STR.0000062343.64383.D0|pmid=12649521|doi-access=free}}</ref> while other studies indicate starting therapy too early may be detrimental to the patient's recovery.<ref name="Nouwens">{{cite journal|last1=Nouwens|first1=F.|last2=Visch-Brink|first2=E.G.|last3=Van de Sandt-Koenderman|first3=M.M.E.|last4=Dippeo|first4=D.W.J|last5=Kaudstaal|first5=P.J.|last6=de Law|first6=L.M.L.|title=Optimal timing for speech and language therapy after stroke: More evidence needed|journal= Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics|date=2015|volume=15|issue=8|pages=885–893|doi=10.1586/14737175.2015.1058161|pmid=26088694|s2cid=6863123 }}</ref> Recent research suggests, that therapy be functional and focus on communication goals that are appropriate for the patient's individual lifestyle.<ref name="LPAA">{{cite web|title=Life Participation Approach to Aphasia: A Statement of Values for the Future|url=https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/LPAA/|website=American Speech-Language-Hearing Association}}</ref>

Specific treatment considerations for working with individuals with Wernicke's aphasia (or those who exhibit deficits in auditory comprehension) include using familiar materials, using shorter and slower utterances when speaking, giving direct instructions, and using repetition as needed.<ref name="Brookshire" />

=== Role of neuroplasticity in recovery ===

[[Neuroplasticity]] is defined as the brain's ability to reorganize itself, lay new pathways, and rearrange existing ones, as a result of experience.<ref name="Bayles">{{cite journal|last1=Bayles|first1=K.A.|last2=Tomodea|first2=C.K.|title=Neuroplasticity: Implications for treating cognitive communication disorders|journal=ASHA National Convention|date=2010}}</ref> Neuronal changes after damage to the brain such as collateral sprouting, increased activation of the homologous areas, and map extension demonstrate the brain's neuroplastic abilities. According to Thomson, "Portions of the right hemisphere, extended left brain sites, or both have been shown to be recruited to perform language functions after brain damage.<ref name="Thomson">{{cite journal|last1=Thomson|first1=C.K.|title=Neuroplasticity: Evidence from aphasia|journal=Journal of Communication Disorders|date=2000|volume=33|issue=4|pages=357–366|doi=10.1016/S0021-9924(00)00031-9|pmid=11001162|pmc=3086401}}</ref> All of the neuronal changes recruit areas not originally or directly responsible for large portions of linguistic processing.<ref name="Raymer">{{cite journal|last1=Raymer|first1=A.M.|last2=Beeson|first2=P.|last3=Holland|first3=A.|last4=Kendall|first4=D.|last5=Maher|first5=L.M.|last6=Martin|first6=M.|last7=Gonzolez Rothi|first7=L.J.|title=Transitional research in aphasia: From neuroscience to neurorehabilitation|journal=Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research|date=2008|volume=51|issue=1 |pages=259–275|doi=10.1044/1092-4388(2008/020) |pmid=18230850 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5620839}}</ref> Principles of neuroplasticity have been proven effective in neurorehabilitation after damage to the brain. These principles include: incorporating multiple modalities into treatment to create stronger neural connections, using stimuli that evoke positive emotion, linking concepts with simultaneous and related presentations, and finding the appropriate intensity and duration of treatment for each individual patient.<ref name="Bayles" />

=== Auditory comprehension treatment ===
Auditory comprehension is a primary focus in treatment for Wernicke's aphasia, as it is the main deficit related to this diagnosis. Therapy activities may include:
* Single-word comprehension: A common treatment method used to support single-word comprehension skills is known as a pointing drill. Through this method, clinicians lay out a variety of images in front of a patient. The patient is asked to point to the image that corresponds to the word provided by the clinician.<ref name="Brookshire" />
* Understanding spoken sentences: "Treatment to improve comprehension of spoken sentences typically consists of drills in which patients answer questions, follow directions or verify the meaning of sentences".<ref name="Brookshire" />
* Understanding conversation: An effective treatment method to support comprehension of discourse includes providing a patient with a conversational sample and asking him or her questions about that sample. Individuals with less severe deficits in auditory comprehension may also be able to retell aspects of the conversation.<ref name="Brookshire" />

=== Word retrieval ===
Anomia is consistently seen in aphasia, so many treatment techniques aim to help patients with word finding problems. One example of a semantic approach is referred to as semantic feature analyses. The process includes naming the target object shown in the picture and producing words that are semantically related to the target. Through production of semantically similar features, participants develop more skills in naming stimuli due to the increase in lexical activation.<ref name="Boyle">{{cite journal|last1=Boyle|first1=M.|last2=Coelho|first2=C.A.|title=Semantic feature analysis treatment for anomia in two fluent aphasia syndromes|journal=American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology|date=2004|volume=13|issue=3|pages=236–249|doi=10.1044/1058-0360(2004/025)|pmid=15339233}}</ref>

=== Restorative therapy approach ===
Neuroplasticity is a central component to restorative therapy to compensate for brain damage. This approach is especially useful in Wernicke's aphasia patients that have had a stroke to the left brain hemisphere.<ref name="auto">Manasco, H. (2021). ''Introduction to neurogenic communication disorders''. Burlington, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning.</ref>

''Schuell's stimulation approach'' is a main method in traditional aphasia therapy that follows principles to retrieve function in the auditory modality of language and influence surrounding regions through stimulation. The guidelines to have the most effective stimulation are as follows:
Auditory stimulation of language should be intensive and always present when other language modalities are stimulated.<ref name="auto"/>
* The stimulus should be presented at a difficulty level equal to or just below the patient's ability.
* Sensory stimulation must be present and repeated throughout the treatment.
* Each stimulus applied should produce a response; if there is no response more stimulation cues should be provided.
* Response to stimuli should be maximized to create more opportunities for success and feedback for the speech-language pathologist.
* The feedback of the speech-language pathologist should promote further success and patient and encouragement.
* Therapy should follow an intensive and systemic method to create success by progressing in difficulty.
* Therapies should be varied and build off of mastered therapy tasks.<ref name="auto"/>

Schuell's stimulation utilizes stimulation through therapy tasks beginning at a simplified task and progressing to become more difficult including:
* Point to tasks. During these tasks the patient is directed to point to an object or multiple objects. As the skill is learned the level of complexity increases by increasing the number of objects the patient must point to.<ref name="auto"/>
** Simple: "Point to the book."
** Complex: "Point to the book and then to the ceiling after touching your ear."
* Following directions with objects. During these tasks the patient is instructed to follow the instruction of manually following directions that increase in complexity as the skill is learned.<ref name="auto"/>
** Simple: "Pick up the book."
** Complex: "Pick up the book and put it down on the bench after I move the cup."
* Yes or no questions – This task requires the patient to respond to various yes or no questions that can range from simple to complex.<ref name="auto"/>
** Paraphrasing and retelling – This task requires the patient to read a paragraph and, afterwards, paraphrase it aloud. This is the most complex of Schuell's stimulation tasks because it requires comprehension, recall, and communication.<ref name="auto"/>

=== Social approach to treatment ===
The social approach involves a collaborative effort on behalf of patients and clinicians to determine goals and outcomes for therapy that could improve the patient's quality of life. A conversational approach is thought to provide opportunities for development and the use of strategies to overcome barriers to communication. The main goals of this treatment method are to improve the patient's conversational confidence and skills in natural contexts using conversational coaching, supported conversations, and partner training.<ref name="LaPointe">{{cite book|last1=LaPointe|first1=L.|title=Aphasia and Related Neurogenic Language Disorders|date=2005|publisher=Thieme Medical Publishers Inc.|location=New York, NY|edition=3rd}}</ref>
* Conversational coaching involves patients with aphasia and their speech language pathologists, who serve as a "coach" discussing strategies to approach various communicative scenarios. The "coach" will help the patient develop a script for a scenario (such as ordering food at a restaurant), and help the patient practice and perform the scenario in and out of the clinic while evaluating the outcome.<ref name="Davis">{{cite web|last1=Davis|first1=G.A.|title=Aphasia Therapy Guide|url=https://www.aphasia.org/aphasia-resources/aphasia-therapy-guide/|website=National Aphasia Association}}</ref>
* Supported conversation also involves using a communicative partner who supports the patient's learning by providing contextual cues, slowing their own rate of speech, and increasing their message's redundancy to promote the patient's comprehension.<ref name="Davis" />
Additionally, it is important to include the families of patients with aphasia in treatment programs. Clinicians can teach family members how to support one another, and how to adjust their speaking patterns to facilitate their loved one's treatment and rehabilitation.<ref name="LaPointe" />

Speech devices, while not a treatment that can improve a patient's language skills, help the patient communicate with caregivers through the use of pictures or speech.<ref name=":5" />

=== Clinical trials ===
More recently, researchers are developing medical treatments for aphasia using clinical trials for pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. Some medications include drugs affecting the catecholaminergic system, nootropic drugs, and medications used to treat Alzheimer's disease. The non-pharmacological approaches include transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct stimulation.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

==Prognosis==
Prognosis is strongly dependent on the location and extent of the lesion (damage) to the brain. Many personal factors also influence how a person will recover, which include age, previous medical history, level of education, gender, and motivation.<ref name="Thomson" /> All of these factors influence the brain's ability to adapt to change, restore previous skills, and learn new skills. It is important to remember that all the presentations of Receptive Aphasia may vary. The presentation of symptoms and prognosis are both dependent on personal components related to the individual's neural organization before the stroke, the extent of the damage, and the influence of environmental and behavioral factors after the damage occurs.<ref name="Keefe">{{cite journal|last1=Keefe|first1=K.A.|title=Applying basic neuroscience to aphasia therapy: What the animals are telling us|journal=American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology|date=1995|volume=4|issue=4|pages=88–93|doi=10.1044/1058-0360.0404.88}}</ref> The quicker a diagnosis of a stroke is made by a medical team, the more positive the patient's recovery may be. A medical team will work to control the signs and symptoms of the stroke and rehabilitation therapy will begin to manage and recover lost skills. The rehabilitation team may consist of a certified speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and the family or caregivers.<ref name="Bates" /> The length of therapy will be different for everyone, but research suggests that intense therapy over a short amount of time can improve outcomes of speech and language therapy for patients with aphasia. Research is not suggesting the only way therapy should be administered, but gives insight on how therapy affects the patient's prognosis.<ref name="Nouwens" />

==See also==
* [[Agraphia]]
* [[Logorrhea (psychology)]]
* [[Paragrammatism]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Klein, Stephen B., and Thorne. Biological Psychology. New York: Worth, 2007. Print.
* Saladin, Kenneth S. Anatomy & Physiology: the Unity of Form and Function. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. Print.

{{Medical resources
| ICD11 = {{ICD11|6A01.20}}
| ICD10 = {{ICD10|F80.2}}
| ICD9 = {{ICD9|784.3}}
| ICDO =
| OMIM =
| DiseasesDB =
| MedlinePlus =
| eMedicineSubj =
| eMedicineTopic =
| MeshID = D001041
}}

{{Lesions of spinal cord and brain}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Receptive Aphasia}}
[[Category:Aphasias]]
[[Category:Neuropsychology]]
[[Category:Complications of stroke]]
[[Category:Neurolinguistics]]

Byron De La Beckwith

2025-09-13T03:09:50Z

2600:1004:A031:74C:AC27:4BBF:6AA9:E30B: /* Representation in other media */

{{short description|American white supremacist, Klansman, and convicted murderer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name = Byron De La Beckwith
| image = Byron De La Beckwith, Associated Press 1964.png
| caption = De La Beckwith in 1964
| image_upright = .8
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|11|9}}
| birth_place = [[Sacramento, California]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2001|01|21|1920|11|9}}
| death_place = [[Jackson, Mississippi]], U.S.
| conviction = [[Murder]]
| conviction_penalty = [[Life imprisonment]]
| conviction_status = [[Deceased]]
| occupation = Salesman
| motive = [[White supremacy]]
| victims = Medgar Evers, 37
| date = June 12, 1963
| locations = [[Jackson, Mississippi]]
}}
'''Byron De La Beckwith Jr.''' (November 9, 1920 – January 21, 2001) was an American [[white supremacist]] and member of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] who murdered [[Civil Rights Movement|civil rights]] leader [[Medgar Evers]] on June 12, 1963, in [[Jackson, Mississippi]].

In 1964, he was tried twice on a murder charge in Mississippi. The [[all-white juries|all-white male juries]] each ended in [[hung juries]], and De La Beckwith went free. In 1994, based on new evidence, he was tried again. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 2001 at the age of 80.

==Early life and career==
De La Beckwith was born in [[Sacramento, California]], the only child of Byron De La Beckwith Sr., a [[postmaster]] for the town of [[Colusa, California|Colusa]], and Susan Southworth Yerger.<ref name="NYT"/> His father died of [[pneumonia]] when he was 5 years old.<ref name="Vollers1995">{{cite book |last=Vollers |first=Maryanne |author-link=Maryanne Vollers |url=https://archive.org/details/ghostsofmississi00voll |title=Ghosts of Mississippi: The Murder of Medgar Evers, the Trials of Byron de la Beckwith, and the Haunting of the New South |date=April 1995 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=978-0-316-91485-7 |pages= |access-date=September 9, 2011 |url-access=registration}}</ref>{{Rp|page=24}} One year later, he and his mother settled in [[Greenwood, Mississippi]], to be near her family. His mother died of [[lung cancer]] when De La Beckwith was 12 years old,<ref name="abnormal">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,875008-2,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080405174115/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,875008-2,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = April 5, 2008 | title = A Little Abnormal: The Life of Byron De La Beckwith | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date = July 5, 1963 | access-date = September 10, 2011}}</ref> leaving him orphaned. He was raised by his maternal uncle William Greene Yerger and his wife.<ref name="abnormal"/> They supported De La Beckwith in his educational studies, including one year at [[The Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee)|The Webb School]].

==Military service==
In January 1942, soon after the United States entered [[World War II]], De La Beckwith enlisted in the [[U.S. Marine Corps]]. He served as a machine gunner in the [[Pacific War|Pacific theater]]. He fought in the [[Battle of Guadalcanal]] and was shot in the waist during the [[Battle of Tarawa]].<ref name="Russ1975">{{cite book|last=Russ|first=Martin|author-link=Martin Russ|title=Line of departure: Tarawa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3CwgAAAAMAAJ|access-date=September 9, 2011|year=1975|publisher=Doubleday|pages=69–70|isbn=978-0-385-09669-0}}</ref> He was honorably discharged in August 1945.

After his return to the United States, De La Beckwith moved to [[Providence, Rhode Island]], where he married Mary Louise Williams.<ref name="abnormal"/> The couple relocated to [[Mississippi]], where they settled in his hometown of [[Greenwood, Mississippi|Greenwood]]. They had a son together, Delay De La Beckwith. De La Beckwith and Williams divorced. He later married Thelma Lindsay Neff in 1983.<ref name="NYT"/>

==Career==
De La Beckwith worked as a salesman for most of his life, selling tobacco, fertilizer, wood stoves, and other goods.<ref name="NYT"/> In 1954, following the [[United States Supreme Court]] ruling in ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' that [[Racial segregation|segregated]] public schools were unconstitutional, he joined his local [[White Citizens' Council]], which opposed desegregation of schools and businesses. In many areas they threatened and intimidated African Americans working for civil rights, including by economic means. He also became a member of the [[Ku Klux Klan]], another [[white supremacist]] organization.

==Murder of Medgar Evers==
[[File:6.13, 1963. Rifle that killed Medgar Evers. Located latent fingerprints on telescopic site. Medgar was shot off Delta Drive, Jackson, Miss..png|thumb|The rifle De La Beckwith used to kill Evers]]
On June 12, 1963, at age 42, De La Beckwith murdered [[Medgar Evers]], civil rights leader and the [[NAACP]]'s first state field secretary shortly after the activist arrived home in [[Jackson, Mississippi]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vollers |first=Maryanne |url=http://archive.org/details/ghostsofmississi00voll |title=Ghosts of Mississippi : the murder of Medgar Evers, the trials of Byron de la Beckwith, and the haunting of the new South |date=1995 |publisher=Boston : Little, Brown |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-316-91485-7}}</ref>

De La Beckwith had positioned himself across the street from Evers's home. Using a rifle, he shot Evers in the back.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/medgar-evers|title=Medgar Evers|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation}}</ref> Evers died an hour later, aged 37. [[Myrlie Evers]], his wife, and his three children, James, Reena, and Darrell Evers, were home at the time of the assassination.

Darrell, who was nine years old at the time, recalled the night: "We were ready to greet him, because every time he came home it was special for us. He was traveling a lot at that time. All of a sudden, we heard a shot. We knew what it was."<ref>Hansen, Mark. ''ABA Journal'', March 1993, Vol.79, p.26(1); Justice, Glen. "'The Word Is Free': For the Three Children of Civil Rights Martyr Medgar Evers, the Conviction of Their Father's Murderer after 30 Years Has Finally Ended a Lifetime in Limbo. Quietly, Each Is Fulfilling Their Father's Dreams by Living out Their Own", ''Los Angeles Times'', March 20, 1994. Web. May 16, 2017.</ref>

== Trials ==
The state prosecuted De La Beckwith twice for murder in 1964, but both trials ended with [[hung juries]]. Mississippi had effectively [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchised]] black voters since 1890. In practice, this also meant they were excluded from serving on [[Racial discrimination in jury selection#United States|juries]], whose members were drawn from voter rolls. During the second trial, [[Ross Barnett]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] governor of Mississippi at the time of the assassination, shook hands with De La Beckwith in the courtroom.<ref name="NYT"/> The White Citizens' Council paid De La Beckwith's legal expenses in both his 1964 trials.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Economics of Movement Success: Business Responses to Civil Rights Mobilization|author=Luders, Joseph|journal=American Journal of Sociology|volume=111|issue=4 |date=Jan 2006 |pages=963–998 |doi=10.1086/498632|s2cid=144120696}}</ref>

In January 1966, De La Beckwith, along with a number of other members of the [[White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan]], was subpoenaed by the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] to testify about Klan activities. Although De La Beckwith gave his name when asked by the committee (other witnesses, such as [[Samuel Bowers]], invoked the [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment]] in response to that question), he answered no other substantive questions.<ref name="Vollers1995" />{{page needed|date=May 2019}} In the following years, De La Beckwith became a leader in the [[segregationist]] [[Phineas Priesthood]], an offshoot of the white supremacist [[Christian Identity]] movement.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} The group was known for its hostility toward African Americans, [[Jews]], [[Catholics]], and foreigners.

According to Delmar Dennis, who acted as a key witness for the prosecution at the 1994 trial, De La Beckwith boasted of his role in the death of Medgar Evers at several Ku Klux Klan rallies and similar gatherings in the years following his mistrials. In 1967, he unsuccessfully sought the [[U.S. Democratic Party|Democratic Party]]'s nomination for [[Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi]].<ref name="Vollers1995" />{{page needed|date=May 2019}}

In 1969, De La Beckwith's previous charges were dismissed. In 1973, informants alerted the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] that he planned to murder [[Adolph Botnick|A.I. Botnick]], director of the [[New Orleans]]-based [[B'nai B'rith|B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League]]. The attack was a racially motivated retaliation for comments that Botnick had made about white Southerners and race relations.

Following several days of surveillance, [[New Orleans Police Department]] officers stopped De La Beckwith as he was traveling by car on the [[Lake Pontchartrain Causeway]] Bridge to New Orleans. Among the contents of his vehicle were several loaded firearms, a map with highlighted directions to Botnick's house, and a [[dynamite]] time bomb. On August 1, 1975, De La Beckwith was convicted in Louisiana of [[conspiracy (criminal)|conspiracy to commit murder]] and sentenced to five years in prison.

After losing his appeal, De La Beckwith was detained in [[Washington, D.C.]] for failing to report to prison. He served nearly three years of his five-year sentence at [[Angola Prison]] in Louisiana from May 1977 until he was paroled in January 1980.<ref name="Vollers1995" /><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Smith |first1=J. Y. |last2=Lewis |first2=Alfred E. |date=1977-04-30 |title=Byron De La Beckwith Held Here on Louisiana Warrant |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1977/04/30/byron-de-la-beckwith-held-here-on-louisiana-warrant/da9e16e0-a051-47fe-a917-eec58659bb1a/ |access-date=2023-10-13 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Just before entering prison to serve his sentence, De La Beckwith was [[ordained]] by Reverend [[Buddy Tucker|Dewey "Buddy" Tucker]] as a minister in the Temple Memorial Baptist Church, a Christian Identity congregation in [[Knoxville, Tennessee]].<ref>Lloyd, James B. (January 11, 1995). "Tennessee, Racism, and the New Right: The Second Beckwith Collection," ''The Library Development Review'' 1994-95: 3.</ref> De La Beckwith was an avid follower of [[Wesley Swift]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hancock|first1=L.|last2=Wexler|first2=S.|title=The Awful Grace of God: Religious Terrorism, White Supremacy, and the Unsolved Murder of Martin Luther King Jr.|year=2012|publisher=Counterpoint|location=Berkeley, CA|isbn=978-1-61902-075-7|url=https://www.google.fi/books/edition/The_Awful_Grace_of_God/tIlLEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Byron+De+La+Beckwith+christian+identity&pg=PA66&printsec=frontcover}}</ref>

In the 1980s, the Jackson ''[[Clarion-Ledger]]'' published reports on its investigation of De La Beckwith's trials in the 1960s. It found that the [[Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission]], a state agency supported by taxpayers' money to purportedly protect the image of the state, had assisted De La Beckwith's attorneys in his second trial. The commission had worked against the civil rights movement in numerous ways; for this trial, it used state resources to investigate members of the jury pool during ''[[Voir dire#Use in the United States|voir dire]]'' to aid the defense in picking a sympathetic jury.<ref name="NYT"/><ref name="Vollers1995"/>{{page needed|date=May 2019}} These findings of illegality contributed to the state conducting a new trial of De La Beckwith in 1994.

==1994 trial for Evers's murder==
Myrlie Evers, who later became the third woman to chair the [[NAACP]], refused to abandon her husband's case. When new documents showed that jurors in the previous case were investigated illegally and screened by a state agency, she pressed authorities to reopen the case. In the 1980s, reporting by [[Jerry Mitchell (reporter)|Jerry Mitchell]] of the Jackson ''[[Clarion-Ledger]]'' about the earlier De La Beckwith trials resulted in the state mounting a new investigation. It ultimately initiated a third prosecution, based on this and other new evidence.<ref name="NYT"/>

By this time, De La Beckwith was living in [[Walden, Tennessee]], just outside [[Signal Mountain, Tennessee|Signal Mountain]], a suburb of [[Chattanooga]]. He was extradited to Mississippi for trial at the [[Hinds County]] Courthouse in Jackson. Before his trial, the 71-year-old [[white supremacist]] had asked the justices to dismiss the case against him on the grounds that it violated his rights to a [[speedy trial]], due process, and protection from [[double jeopardy]].<ref>"Third trial allowed; white supremacist loses appeal: Byron De La Beckwith". Hansen, Mark. ''ABA Journal'', March 1993, Vol.79, p.26(1)</ref> The [[Mississippi Supreme Court]] ruled against his motion by a 4–3 vote, and the case was scheduled to be heard in January 1994.

During this third trial, the murder weapon was presented, a “sporterized” [[M1917 Enfield|Enfield .30-06 caliber rifle]], with De La Beckwith's fingerprints. De La Beckwith claimed that the gun was stolen from his house. He listed his health problems, [[high blood pressure]], lack of energy and kidney problems, saying, "I need a list to recite everything I suffer from, and I hate to complain because I'm not the complaining type".<ref>"Sentenced, Byron De La Beckwith", ''Time'', February 14, 1994, Vol. 143(7), p.18(1)</ref>

On February 5, 1994, a jury composed of eight African Americans and four whites [[Conviction|convicted]] De La Beckwith of murder for killing Medgar Evers. He was sentenced to life in prison.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/c18776f9f3cd1b5b312627ec5542dd84|title=White supremacist convicted of killing Medgar Evers|first=Ron|last=Harrist|publisher=Associated Press|date=February 5, 1994|accessdate=May 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/beckwith-convicted-of-killing-medgar-evers#:~:text=On%20February%205%2C%201994%2C%20white,years%20after%20the%20crime%20occurred.|title=White supremacist convicted of killing Medgar Evers|publisher=History.com|access-date=May 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=De La Beckwith v. State, 707 So. 2d 547 {{!}} Casetext Search + Citator |url=https://casetext.com/case/de-la-beckwith-v-state |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126214049/https://casetext.com/case/de-la-beckwith-v-state |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=casetext.com}}</ref> New evidence included testimony that during the three decades since the crime had occurred, De La Beckwith had boasted on multiple occasions of having committed the murder, including at a KKK rally. The physical evidence was essentially the same as that presented during the first two trials.<ref name="NYT"/>

De La Beckwith appealed the guilty verdict, but the [[Mississippi Supreme Court]] upheld the conviction in 1997. The court said that the 31-year lapse between the murder and De La Beckwith's conviction did not deny him a fair trial. De La Beckwith sought [[judicial review]] in the [[Supreme Court of the United States|United States Supreme Court]], but his petition for [[certiorari]] was denied.<ref>''De La Beckwith v. State,'' 707 So. 2d 547 (Miss. 1997), cert. denied, 525 U.S. 880 (1998).</ref>

On January 21, 2001, De La Beckwith died after he was transferred from prison to the [[University of Mississippi Medical Center]] in [[Jackson, Mississippi]]. He was 80 years old. He had suffered from [[heart disease]], [[high blood pressure]], and other ailments for some time.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/23/us/byron-de-la-beckwith-dies-killer-of-medgar-evers-was-80.html | work=The New York Times | title=Byron De La Beckwith Dies; Killer of Medgar Evers Was 80 | first=David | last=Stout | date=January 23, 2001 | access-date=April 28, 2010}}</ref>

==Representation in other media==
* ''Where Is the Voice Coming From?''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/norvin/www/somethingelse/welty.html|title=Where Is The Voice Coming From?|website=web.mit.edu}}</ref> (1963), a short story by [[Eudora Welty]], was published in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' on July 6, 1963. Welty, who was from Jackson, Mississippi, later said: "Whoever the murderer is, I know him: not his identity, but his coming about, in this time and place. That is, I ought to have learned by now, from here, what such a man, intent on such a deed, had going on in his mind. I wrote his story—my fiction—in the first person: about that character's point of view."<ref name="Welty1980">{{cite book|last=Welty|first=Eudora|author-link=Eudora Welty|title=The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UhQ6mr6WLtUC|access-date=September 9, 2011|year=1980|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0-15-618921-7}}</ref> It was published before De La Beckwith's arrest. So accurate was her portrayal that the magazine changed several details in the story before publication for legal reasons.<ref>Eudora Welty, "Preface", ''The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty'' (1980).</ref>

* Byron De La Beckwith was the subject of the 1963 [[Bob Dylan]] song "[[Only a Pawn in Their Game]]", which deplores Evers' murder and attempts to suggest De La Beckwith was "only a pawn in the game", a poor white man manipulated by Southern politicians.

* In 1991, author [[William James Royce]] wrote "[[Sweet, Sweet Blues]]", an episode of the NBC television series ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]]''. It was based on the murder of Evers and first trials of De La Beckwith. Actor [[James Best]] plays a character based on De La Beckwith, an aging Klansman who appears to have gotten away with murder.

* The feature film ''[[Ghosts of Mississippi]]'' (1996) tells the story of the murder and 1994 trial. [[James Woods]]'s performance as De La Beckwith was nominated for an [[Academy Award]].

* In 2001, [[Bobby DeLaughter]] published his memoir of the case and 1994 trial, ''Never Too Late: A Prosecutor’s Story of Justice in the Medgar Evers Trial.''<ref>''Never Too Late: A Prosecutor's Story of Justice in the Medgar Evers Case.'' New York: [[Simon and Schuster]]. September 16, 2001. {{ISBN|9780743223393}}. Retrieved June 13, 2013.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|author1=Ronald Bailey|author-link1=Ronald Bailey|title=Remembering Medgar Evers -- For a New Generation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i03CAAAACAAJ|access-date=September 12, 2011|year=1988|publisher=Heritage Publications|isbn=978-0-942373-00-4}}
* {{cite book|author1=David T. Beito|author2=Linda Royster Beito|editor=Glenn Feldman|title=Before Brown: civil rights and white backlash in the modern South|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97PtAAAAMAAJ|access-date=September 12, 2011|year=2004|publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=978-0-8173-1431-6|pages=68–95|chapter=T.R.M. Howard: Pragmatism over Strict Integrationist Ideology in the Mississippi Delta, 1942–1954}}
* {{cite book|author=Jennie Brown|title=Medgar Evers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4hXtcZCJ0PoC|access-date=September 12, 2011|date=June 1, 1994|publisher=Holloway House Publishing|isbn=978-0-87067-594-2}}
* {{cite book|author=John Dittmer|author-link=John Dittmer|title=Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi|url=https://archive.org/details/localpeoplestrug00ditt|url-access=registration|access-date=September 12, 2011|date=May 1, 1995|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=978-0-252-06507-1}}
* {{cite book|author1=Myrlie Evers|author-link1=Myrlie Evers|author2=William Peters (journalist)|author-link2=William Peters (journalist)|title=For Us, the Living|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=739CkrdEP2IC|access-date=September 12, 2011|date=February 1, 1996|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-0-87805-841-9}}
* {{cite book|author=James E. Jackson|title=At the funeral of Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi: a tribute in tears and a thrust for freedom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EH4bAAAAIAAJ|access-date=September 12, 2011|year=1963|publisher=Publisher's New Press}}
* {{cite book|author=Stephen Hunter|author-link=Stephen Hunter|title=Point of Impact|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Yp_7qciBjwC|access-date=September 12, 2011|date=November 1, 1993|publisher=Random House Digital, Inc.|isbn=978-0-553-56351-1}}
* {{cite book|author=Reed Massengill|title=Portrait of a Racist: The Real Life of Byron De La Beckwith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSb3PAAACAAJ|access-date=September 12, 2011|date=January 1997|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|isbn=978-0-312-16725-7}}
* {{cite book|author=Adam Nossiter|title=Of Long Memory: Mississippi and the Murder of Medgar Evers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ioiAfzZsxbcC|access-date=September 12, 2011|date=June 19, 2002|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=978-0-306-81162-3}}
* {{cite book|author=Charles M. Payne|author-link=Charles M. Payne|title=I've Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4eh_iGj2bzsC|access-date=September 12, 2011|date=March 16, 2007|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-25176-2}}
* {{cite web | url = http://crimemagazine.com/node/275 | title = For God's Sake: The Assassination of Medgar Evers | author = Randy Radic | publisher = CrimeMagazine.com | date = December 14, 2009 | access-date = September 12, 2011}}
* {{cite book|author=John R. Salter|title=Jackson, Mississippi: An American Chronicle of Struggle and Schism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2BxJtwAACAAJ|access-date=September 12, 2011|date=November 1, 2011|publisher=UNP – Bison Books|isbn=978-0-8032-3808-4}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{cite book|author=R. W. Scott|title=Glory in Conflict: A Saga of Byron De La Beckwith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ENZLHAAACAAJ|access-date=September 12, 2011|year=1991|publisher=Camark Press}}
* Never Too Late: A Prosecutor's Story of Justice in the Medgar Evers Case. New York: Simon and Schuster. 2001-09-16. {{ISBN|9780743223393}}. Retrieved June 13, 2013.

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|1186708}}
* {{Find a Grave|20437|access-date=August 10, 2010}}
* [https://specialcollections.usm.edu/repositories/3/resources/1052 Byron De La Beckwith Sr. Letters], [https://lib.usm.edu/spcol Special Collections] at The University of Southern Mississippi

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.]]
* [[Samuel Bowers]]
* [[Herman Frank Cash]]
* [[Robert Edward Chambliss]]
* [[Bobby Frank Cherry]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:De La Beckwith, Byron}}
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