What is the main function of Wernicke's area?

Wernicke's area is primarily responsible for speech comprehension. This region of the brain, located in the posterior part of the left temporal lobe for most right-handed individuals, plays a critical role in the understanding of spoken and written language. When a person hears or reads language, Wernicke's area allows them to interpret the meanings and concepts behind the words, enabling effective communication.

The relationship between Wernicke's area and language comprehension can be observed in cases of Wernicke's aphasia, where individuals can produce fluent speech but may have significant difficulties in understanding language and may produce nonsensical sentences. This highlights the area’s essential function in processing and making sense of linguistic information, demonstrating its role beyond mere speech production. Thus, the answer accurately captures the core function of Wernicke's area.