Introduction to Neuro Evaluation – Readiness Assignment

Vocabulary flashcards covering key neuro-evaluation concepts, tests, reflexes, and motor control terminology from the Neuro Bootcamp readiness assignment.

Mental Status

Screening area that assesses alertness, orientation, attention, memory, language, and higher-level cognition.

Cranial Nerve Integrity

Screening area that tests the sensory and motor functions of CN I–XII (e.g., smell, vision, facial movement, hearing, swallowing).

Motor Function (Screen)

Observation of muscle bulk, tone, and strength using gross strength checks or manual muscle testing.

Sensory Function (Screen)

Gross assessment of light touch, proprioception, temperature, vibration, and pain detection.

Reflexes

Evaluation of deep tendon reflexes and pathologic reflexes such as Babinski.

Coordination & Cerebellar Function

Tests like finger-to-nose, heel-to-shin, RAM, and Romberg to assess cerebellar performance.

Gait and Balance

Observation of walking pattern, tandem gait, single-leg stance, and other balance tests.

Screening vs. Full Neuro Evaluation

Screen when subtle or potential neuro signs appear; perform a full evaluation with known or clear neurological diagnoses or progressive symptoms.

A&Ox3 (Alert and Oriented ×3)

Indicates a patient is oriented to person, place, and time but does not capture executive function or attention.

Executive Function

Higher-level cognitive skills such as judgment, planning, problem-solving, and mental flexibility.

Arousal

Physiological readiness for activity; level of consciousness often rated with the Glasgow Coma Scale.

Attention

Ability to focus on specific stimuli or tasks while ignoring distractions.

Perception

Interpretation of sensory input; includes body, spatial, and environmental awareness.

Cranial Nerve I (Olfactory)

Tested when a patient reports loss of smell or altered taste, head trauma, or certain neurodegenerative diseases.

Weber Test

Tuning-fork test that detects lateralization of sound to identify unilateral hearing loss.

Rinne Test

Compares air conduction to bone conduction to differentiate sensorineural from conductive hearing loss.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Inner-ear or CN VIII damage; Weber lateralizes to unaffected ear, Rinne AC>BC but both reduced.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Outer/middle-ear transmission problem; Weber lateralizes to affected ear, Rinne shows BC>AC.

PERRLA

Documentation shorthand meaning pupils equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation.

Direct Light Reflex

Pupil constricts in the eye exposed to light via CN II (afferent) & CN III (efferent).

Consensual Light Reflex

Pupil constricts in the opposite eye when the other eye is illuminated; uses afferent CN II and contralateral efferent CN III.

Muscle Tone

Resistance of muscle to passive stretch at rest; can be normal, hypo-, or hypertonic.

Clonus

Rhythmic, involuntary contractions triggered by sudden stretch; documented by number or duration of beats.

Jendrassik Maneuver

Patient contracts remote muscles (e.g., interlocking fingers and pulling) to reinforce deep tendon reflexes.

Flaccidity

Complete loss of muscle tone producing a floppy limb; common in LMN lesions or acute UMN shock.

Spasticity

Velocity-dependent increase in tone, often affecting flexors in UE and extensors in LE; indicates UMN lesion.

Rigidity

Uniform, velocity-independent resistance to passive movement; seen in basal ganglia disorders like Parkinson’s.

Isolated Movement

Voluntary activation of a specific joint motion without associated mass movements; reflects selective motor control.

Decomposition

Breaking a smooth movement into segmented parts; classical cerebellar sign.

Sidelying Synergy Test

Assessment that gauges presence of abnormal synergistic limb patterns after CNS injury.

Deep Tendon Reflex (DTR)

Stretch reflex elicited by tapping a tendon, graded 0–4+ for hypo- or hyper-reflexia.

Babinski Reflex

Pathologic plantar response where great toe extends and others fan; indicates UMN lesion.

Rapid Alternating Movements (RAM)

Non-equilibrium coordination test involving quick pronation–supination or foot tapping.

Heel-to-Shin Test

Cerebellar coordination test where the heel slides along the opposite shin in a straight line.

Romberg Test

Balance test assessing postural stability with eyes closed while standing with feet together.

Ataxia

Lack of coordinated movement resulting in unsteady gait, poor balance, and movement inaccuracy.

Intention Tremor

Tremor that appears during voluntary movement and worsens near the target; cerebellar in origin.

Dysmetria

Inaccurate range of movement, including over- or undershooting targets.

Hypermetria

Type of dysmetria characterized by overshooting an intended target.

Dysdiadochokinesia

Inability to perform smooth, rapid alternating movements, indicating cerebellar dysfunction.