Which artery supplies major speech areas such as Broca's area and Wernicke's area, and whose deficits affect speech and language across most lobes?

• A. Anterior Cerebral Artery
• B. Posterior Cerebral Artery
• C. Basilar Artery
• D. Middle Cerebral Artery

Answer: (D)

Language areas are concentrated on the lateral surface of the dominant hemisphere, and the middle cerebral artery provides the main blood supply to those regions. Its branches reach the frontal operculum, where Broca's area sits, and the posterior superior temporal gyrus, where Wernicke's area resides. When this artery is affected, the resulting deficits often involve speech production and language comprehension across multiple lobes because the language network spans the frontal, temporal, and parietal regions (including areas that integrate language functions and reading).

The other arteries specialize in other brain regions: the anterior cerebral artery mainly supplies the medial frontal and parietal surfaces, often affecting leg movement and medial functions rather than language; the posterior cerebral artery covers the occipital lobe and parts of the temporal lobe involved in vision and certain aspects of memory and object recognition; and the basilar artery feeds brainstem and cerebellar regions. Since language and speech centers are primarily served by the middle cerebral artery, it is the best choice for explaining deficits in speech and language across multiple lobes.