Exam of cognition

Question 1

When would you perform the Mental status/cognitive exam?

Answer 1

Right after the history

Question 2

What are executive functions?

Answer 2

thinking abstractly, planning

Question 3

What does arousal refer to (non-sexual, of course)?

Answer 3

Slow fluctuations in alertness that relate to circadian rhythm, food intake and drug effects by opening, localizing or tracking with head/eye movement to stimulus.

Question 4

What do you test when checking A + O 3-4?

Answer 4

Alert and oriented to person, place, time and situation/circumstance

Question 5

What do you do if the pt does not respond to gentle touch?

Answer 5

Provide noxious stimulus, as in sternal rub or nail bed pressure

Question 6

How do we document ability to follow commands?

Answer 6

Time it takes to respond
1 step/2 step commands?
% time able to sustain attention/respond to commands

Question 7

What is a disturbance in motivation described as?

Answer 7

Apathy or abuila when extreme

Question 8

How are motivation and initiative related?

Answer 8

Pt needs motivation/desire to reach goal and initiative to follow through and finish.

Question 9

What is affect?

Answer 9

External expression of emotional feeling, tone and mood.

Question 10

What is lability?

Answer 10

laughing/crying uncontrollably

Question 11

What kind of affect do pts with parkinsons have?

Answer 11

Desecribed as having flat affect but not actually true. Just due to the lack of motor control of the face. With true affect you are not able to process humor.

Question 12

What is dysarthria?

Answer 12

difficulty talking, pronouncing words

Question 13

What is dysphonia?

Answer 13

disorders of the voice. Inability to produce much sound. Voice sounds breathy, hoarse, harsh or rough

Question 14

What is Wernicke’s aphasia?

Answer 14

Fluent Aphasia. Seems like normal rate of speech even though words not appropriate, impaired auditory comprehension

Question 15

What is Broca’s aphasia?

Answer 15

Limited vocabulary, hesitant speech, adequate auditory comprehension

Question 16

What does perception deal with?

Answer 16

Integration of sensory impressions into information that is meaningful by selecting, integrating and interpreting meaningful stimuli.

Question 17

What is a body image/schema disorder?

Answer 17

Difficulties with awareness of body parts and their relationship to one another and the environment.

• right/left discrimination
• unilateral neglect

Question 18

What is Anosognosia?

Answer 18

Unawareness or denial of deficits/severity of defecits.

Question 19

What is a spatial relation disorder?

Answer 19

Difficulty in perceiving oneself in relation to other objects.

• Topographic orientation
• figure ground perception

Question 20

What is apraxia?

Answer 20

Inability to carry out purposeful movement in presence of intact sensation, movement and coordination

Question 21

What are the 5 types of apraxia?

Answer 21

Verbal
Buccofacial
Constructional
Dressing

Question 22

What is ideomotor apraxia?

Answer 22

inability to correctly imitate hand gestures and voluntarily mime tool use

Question 23

What is ideational apraxia?

Answer 23

inability to conceptualize motor planning with objects, usually with L sided brain damage

Question 24

What is a MMSE?

Answer 24

Mini Mental Status Examination.

-screening test for identifying unrecognized cognitive disorders in elders