Title: Mental Status Exam: Abnormal Examples: Dominant Parietal Lobe Function Description: This patient has right-left confusion and difficulty with simple arithmetic. These are elements of the Gerstmann syndrome, which is seen in lesions of the dominant parietal lobe. The full syndrome consists of right-left confusion, finger agnosia, agraphia and acalculia. Video courtesy of Alejandro Stern, Stern Foundation. NeuroLogic Exam has been supported by a grant from the Slice of Life Development Fund at the University of Utah, the Department of Pediatrics and the Office of Education at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Viewing the video requires installation of the free QuickTime Plug-in. Learning Resource Type: Video Publication ID: 61 Resource ID: 3837
The first principle of neurologic diagnosis is regional or anatomical localization. In order to become skillful the student must understand how structure relates to function of the nervous system. The neurologic examination permits "dissection" of the nervous system and localizes the disease when present. Instead of simply memorizing the components of the exam, a logical and systematic approach to problem solving evolves from repeatedly asking, "Where is the lesion?"
