Neurology Lecture Notes Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from neurology lecture notes.

Blood-Brain Barrier

A naturally occurring barrier created by the modification of brain capillaries that prevents many substances from leaving the blood and crossing into the brain tissue.

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

Clear, colorless liquid that protects the brain and spinal cord against chemical and physical injuries.

Functions of CSF

Mechanical protection, chemical protection, and circulation.

Neurologic Equipment

Includes penlight, tongue blades, sterile needles, tuning forks, familiar objects, cotton wisp, monofilament, reflex hammer, aromatic substances, solutions for taste testing, and test tubes for temperature sensation testing.

Optic Nerve (CN II) Test

Tests distant and near vision.

Oculomotor (CN III), Trochlear (CN IV), & Abducens Nerve (CN VI) Assessment

Inspect eyelids for drooping, pupils' size and their response to light and accommodation and tests extraocular eye movements.

Trigeminal Nerve (CN V) Assessment

Inspect face for muscle atrophy and tremors, palpate jaw muscles when patient clenches teeth, and test facial sensation.

Facial Nerve (CN VII) Assessment

Inspect symmetry of facial features with various expressions and test ability to identify sweet and salty tastes on each side of the tongue.

Acoustic Nerve (CN VIII) Assessment

Test sense of hearing with whisper screening test and compare bone and air conduction of sound using a tuning fork.

Glossopharyngeal (CN IX) & Vagus Nerve (CN X) Assessment

Test ability to identify sour and bitter tastes, gag reflex, ability to swallow, and observe for swallowing difficulty.

Spinal Accessory Nerve (CN XI) Assessment

Test trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscle strength against resistance.

Hypoglossal Nerve (CN XII) Assessment

Inspect tongue for symmetry, tremors, and atrophy; test tongue movement and strength, and evaluate lingual speech sounds.

Proprioception and Cerebellar Function Tests

Includes rapid rhythmic alternating movements, accuracy of movements, balance (Romberg test), and gait and heel-toe walking.

Cortical Sensory Functions

Tests cognitive ability to interpret sensations; inability to perform these tests may indicate a lesion in the sensory cortex or posterior columns of the spinal cord.

Stereognosis (Tactile Recognition)

Ability to recognize objects by touch.

Tactile agnosia

Inability to recognize objects by touch, suggests a parietal lobe lesion.

Two-Point Discrimination

Test using two sterile needles or ends of a paper clip, alternating touching the patient’s skin with one point or both points at various locations over the body.

Extinction Phenomenon

Simultaneously touch two areas on each side of the body and ask the patient to tell you how many stimuli there are and where they are.

Graphesthesia

Drawing a letter, number, or shape on the palm of the patient’s hand and asking them to identify the figure.

Point Location

Touching an area on the patient’s skin and asking the patient to point to the area touched.

Plantar Reflex

Use the end of a reflex hammer to stroke the lateral side of the foot; expect plantar flexion of all toes.

Babinski Sign

Dorsiflexion of the big toe with or without fanning of the other toes, which is an abnormal finding in adults.

Deep Tendon Reflex Score 0

Deep tendon reflex score indicating no response.

Deep Tendon Reflex Score 1+

Deep tendon reflex score indicating sluggish or diminished response.

Deep Tendon Reflex Score 2+

Deep tendon reflex score indicating active or expected response.

Deep Tendon Reflex Score 3+

Deep tendon reflex score indicating more brisk than expected, slightly hyperactive response.

Deep Tendon Reflex Score 4+

Deep tendon reflex score indicating brisk, hyperactive response with intermittent or transient clonus.

Biceps Reflex Test

Flex the patient’s arm to 45 degrees at the elbow, palpate the biceps tendon, and strike your thumb over the tendon with the reflex hammer.

Brachioradial Reflex Test

Flex the patient’s arm to 45 degrees and rest his or her forearm on your arm with the hand slightly pronated; strike the brachioradial tendon with the reflex hammer.

Triceps Reflex Test

Flex the patient’s arm at the elbow up to 90 degrees, support the arm proximal to the antecubital fossa, palpate the triceps tendon, and strike it directly with the reflex hammer.

Patellar Reflex Test

Flex the patient’s knee to 90 degrees, support the upper leg, and strike the patellar tendon just below the patella.

Achilles Reflex Test

Flex the patient’s knee to 90 degrees, keep the ankle in neutral position, and strike the Achilles tendon at the level of the ankle malleoli.

Clonus Test

Support the patient’s knee in a partially flexed position and briskly dorsiflex the foot, maintaining the foot in flexion; no rhythmic oscillating movements should be palpated.

Sustained clonus

Associated with upper motor neuron disease.

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

A neurological scale used to assess the level of consciousness.

GCS score of 15

Indicates the optimal level of consciousness on the GCS.

GCS score of 3

Indicates the deepest coma on the GCS.