A reduction in speech output and content, characterized by brief, empty responses and poverty of speech. This negative symptom of schizophrenia involves both decreased amount of speech and reduced informational content in what is said.
From Greek 'a-' (without) and 'logos' (word, speech), meaning 'without words'. The term was adopted in psychiatric terminology in the late 19th century to describe the speech abnormalities observed in patients with severe mental illness.
Alogia reflects dysfunction in brain areas responsible for language production and executive function, particularly the left frontal cortex, making it a neurobiological symptom rather than simple reluctance to speak. Family members often find alogia particularly distressing because communication becomes nearly impossible, even though the person may understand everything being said.
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