Assessment of Brain Function

Question 1

Level of consciousness

Answer 1

GCS
E 
4 spontaneous 
3 voice
2 pain
1 none

V
5 oriented
4 confused
3 words
2 sounds
1 none

M
6 obeys commands
5 brush away central stimuli
4 move away from peripheral stimuli
3 loss of cortical function => corticate posture
2 loss of cerebral function => decerebrate posture
1 none

U8 - secure airway

Question 2

4 brain lobes involved in higher function

-roles

Answer 2

Frontal

• expressive language
• voluntary planning
• behaviour

Temporal

• memory
• comprehension of language
• object recognition

Parietal

• sensory
• visuospatial

Occipital
-vision

Question 3

Assessment of

• attention
• orientation
• short and long term memory
• language

Answer 3

MMSE, ACE3

Attention - WORLD backwards, serial 7

Orientation - PADY

Short term memory - 3 words => immediate recall => delayed recall
Long term memory - ask them to recall something from the news

Language - dysphasia (understanding, expression), dysphonia (sound making), dysarthria (articulation
Can they hear, understand, speak fluently, repeat, name objects?

Poor fluency - frontal
Poor comprehension - temporal

Question 4

Assessment of praxis

• what is it
• localisation

Answer 4

Understanding => planning => excecution of volitional mv

Dominant frontal, parietal lobe

Question 5

Assessment of visuospatial neglect

Answer 5

Ask them to name what they can see in the room

-can see but cannot register its presence