Chapter 65: Assessment of Neurologic Function

If a client has a lower motor neuron lesion, the nurse would expect to observe which manifestation upon physical assessment?

Decreased muscle tone

During a routine physical examination to assess a client's deep tendon reflexes, a nurse should make sure to:

support the joint where the tendon is being tested.

Which of the following neurotransmitters are deficient in myasthenia gravis?

Acetylcholine

Which term refers to a method of recording, in graphic form, the electrical activity of a muscle?

Electromyography

Cranial nerve IX is also known as which of the following?

Glossopharyngeal

During recovery from a stroke, a client is given nothing by mouth to help prevent aspiration. To determine when the client is ready for a liquid diet, the nurse assesses the client's swallowing ability once per shift. This assessment evaluates:

cranial nerves IX and X.

Which term refers to the inability to recognize objects through a particular sensory system?

Agnosia

A nurse is caring for a client who has a history of a cerebral aneurysm. Which diagnostic test does the nurse anticipate to monitor the status of the aneurysm?

cerebral angiography

To evaluate a client's cerebellar function, a nurse should ask:

"Do you have any problems with balance?"

The nurse is performing an assessment of cranial nerve function and asks the patient to cover one nostril at a time to see if the patient can smell coffee, alcohol, and mint. The patient is unable to smell any of the odors. The nurse is aware that the patient has a dysfunction of which cranial nerve?

CN I

The nurse obtains a Snellen eye chart when assessing cranial nerve function. Which cranial nerve is the nurse testing when using the chart?

CN II

The nurse is assisting with a lumbar puncture and observes that when the physician obtains CSF, it is clear and colorless. What does this finding indicate?

A normal finding; the fluid will be sent for testing to determine other factors

Which term refers to the inability to coordinate muscle movements, resulting difficulty walking?

Ataxia

Which term refers to the inability to coordinate muscle movements, resulting in difficulty walking?

Ataxia

Lesions in the temporal lobe may result in which type of agnosia?

Auditory

There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves. Only three are sensory. Select the cranial nerve that is affected with decreased visual fields.

Cranial nerve II

A client with a suspected brain tumor is scheduled for a computed tomography (CT) scan. What should the nurse do when preparing the client for this test?

Determine whether the client is allergic to iodine, contrast dyes, or shellfish.

A nurse is caring for a client with lower back pain who is scheduled for myelography using metrizamide (a water-soluble contrast dye). After the test, the nurse should place the client in which position?

Head of the bed elevated 45 degrees

A patient has difficulty interpreting his awareness of body position in space. Which lobe is most likely to be damaged?

Parietal

Which cerebral lobe contains the auditory receptive areas?

Temporal

The nurse is performing a neurological assessment of a client who has sustained damage to the frontal cortex. Which of the following deficits will the nurse look for during assessment?

The inability to tell how a mouse and a cat are alike

The nurse is instructing a community class when a student asks, "How does someone get super strength in an emergency?" The nurse should respond by describing the action of the:

sympathetic nervous system.

A nurse and nursing student are caring for a client recovering from a lumbar puncture yesterday. The client reports a headache despite being on bedrest overnight. The physician plans an epidural blood patch this morning. The student asks how this will help the headache. The correct reply from the nurse is which of the following?

"The blood will seal the hole in the dura and prevent further loss of cerebral spinal fluid."

What part of the brain controls and coordinates muscle movement?

Cerebellum

The nurse is caring for a male client who is scheduled for a neurologic examination that uses a radiopaque dye. Before the test, the nurse assesses the allergy history of the client and find the client is allergic to seafood. What does the nurse relate the allergy to seafood as?

An allergy to iodine

A patient who has suffered a stroke is unable to maintain respiration and is intubated and placed on mechanical ventilator support. What portion of the brain is most likely responsible for the inability to breathe?

Brain stem

The nurse is preparing a client for a neurological examination by the physician and explains tests the physician will be doing, including the Romberg test. The client asks the purpose of this particular test. The correct reply by the nurse is which of the following?

It is a test for balance

The nurse is performing the physical examination of a client with a suspected neurologic disorder. In addition to assessing other parts of the body, the nurse should assess for neck rigidity. Which method should help the nurse assess for neck rigidity correctly?

Moving the head and chin toward the chest

Which term describes the fibrous connective tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord?

meninges

The nurse has completed evaluating the client's cranial nerves. The nurse documents impairment of the right cervical nerves (CN IX and CN X). Based on these findings, the nurse should instruct the client to

refrain from eating or drinking for now.

The nurse is caring for a client who is to have a lumbar puncture. What are the lowest vertebrae that contain the spinal cord?

second lumbar vertebrae

The nurse is assessing the throat of a client with throat pain. In asking the client to stick out the tongue, the nurse is also assessing which cranial nerve?

Cranial nerve XII

Which lobe of the brain is responsible for concentration and abstract thought?

Frontal

A client has sustained a head injury to the occipital area. He cannot identify a familiar object by looking at it. The nurse knows that this deficit is which of the following?

Visual agnosia

A client preparing to undergo a lumbar puncture states he doesn't think he will be able to get comfortable with his knees drawn up to his abdomen and his chin touching his chest. He asks if he can lie on his left side. Which statement is the best response by the nurse?

"Although the required position may not be comfortable, it will make the procedure safer and easier to perform."

A patient arrives to have an MRI done in the outpatient department. What information provided by the patient warrants further assessment to prevent complications related to the MRI?

"I am trying to quit smoking and have a patch on."

A nurse is preparing a client for lumbar puncture. The client has heard about post-lumbar puncture headaches and asks how to avoid having one. The nurse tells the client that these headches can be avoided by doing which of the following after the procedure?

"Remain prone for 2 to 3 hours."

The nurse is assessing the client's mental status . Which question will the nurse include in the assessment?

"Who is the president of the United States?"

The nurse is caring for a patient who was involved in a motor vehicle accident and sustained a head injury. When assessing deep tendon reflexes (DTR), the nurse observes diminished or hypoactive reflexes. How will the nurse document this finding?

1+

A client is ordered to undergo CT of the brain with IV contrast. Before the test, the nurse should complete which action first?

Assess the client for medication allergies.

The nurse is assessing the pupils of a patient who has had a head injury. What does the nurse recognize as a parasympathetic effect?

Constricted pupils

A client is waiting in a triage area to learn the medical status of family members following a motor vehicle accident. The client is pacing, taking deep breaths, and handwringing. Considering the effects in the body systems, the nurse anticipates that the liver will:

convert glycogen to glucose for immediate use.

Lower motor neuron lesions cause

flaccid muscles

A nurse is caring for a client with deteriorating neurologic status. The nurse is performing an assessment at the beginning of the shift that reveals a falling blood pressure and heart rate, and the client makes no motor response to stimuli. Which documentation of neuromuscular status is most appropriate?

flaccidity

Which cerebral lobes is the largest and controls abstract thought?

frontal

A patient sustained a head injury during a fall and has changes in personality and affect. What part of the brain does the nurse recognize has been affected in this injury?

frontal lobe

To assess a client's cranial nerve function, a nurse should assess:

gag reflex

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems have a direct effect on the circulatory system. Stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) causes which of the following?

heartbeat to decrease

A nurse is completing a neurological assessment and determines that the client has significant visual deficits. Considering the functions of the lobes of the brain, which area will most likely contain the neurologic deficit?

occipital

Which lobe of the brain is responsible for spatial relationships?

parietal

The nursing instructor is talking with her clinical group about the central nervous system. What should the instructor tell the students about the function of the spinal cord?

Serves as a conduit for impulses to and from the brain

The pre-nursing class is learning about the nervous system in their anatomy class. What part of the nervous system would the students learn is responsible for digesting food and eliminating body waste?

parasympathetic

The physician's office nurse is caring for a client who has a history of a cerebral aneurysm. Which diagnostic test does the nurse anticipate to monitor the status of the aneurysm?

Cerebral angiography

A nurse is preparing a client for a lumbar puncture. The client has heard about post-lumbar puncture headaches and asks what causes them. The nurse tells the client that these headches are caused by which of the following?

Cerebral spinal fluid leakage at the puncture site

Which safety action will the nurse implement for a client receiving oxygen therapy who is undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?

Ensure that no client care equipment containing metal enters the room where the MRI table is located.

A client is diagnosed with a brain tumor. The nurse's assessment reveals that the client has difficulty interpreting visual stimuli. Based on these findings, the nurse suspects injury to which lobe of the brain?

Occipital

Which neurotransmitter demonstrates inhibitory action, helps control mood and sleep, and inhibits pain pathways?

Serotonin

The provider orders the Romberg test for a patient. The nurse tells the patient that the provider wants to evaluate his equilibrium by assessing which cranial nerve?

VIII

A client is scheduled for standard EEG testing to evaluate a possible seizure disorder. Which nursing intervention should the nurse perform before the procedure?

Withhold anticonvulsant medications for 24 to 48 hours before the exam

The nurse is performing a neurologic assessment on a client diagnosed with a stroke and cannot elicit a gag reflex. This deficit is related to which of the following cranial nerves?

X

A nurse is caring for a client with an injury to the central nervous system. When caring for a client with a spinal cord insult slowing transmission of the motor neurons, the nurse would anticipate a delayed reaction in:

response due to interrupted impulses from the central nervous system

A client is actively hallucinating during an assessment. The nurse would be correct in documenting the hallucination as a disturbance in

thought content

The critical care nurse is giving end-of-shift report on a client she is caring for. The nurse uses the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) to assess the level of consciousness (LOC) of a female client and reports to the oncoming nurse that the client has an LOC of 6. What does an LOC score of 6 in a client indicate?

Comatose

A 53-year-old man presents to the emergency department with a chief complaint of inability to form words, and numbness and weakness of the right arm and leg. Where would you locate the site of injury?

Left frontoparietal

A nurse is completing a neurological assessment and determines that the client has significant visual deficits. A brain tumor is considered. Considering the functions of the lobes of the brain, which area will most likely contain the neurologic deficit?

Occipital

A geriatric nurse practitioner is assessing older adults. The nurse practitioner knows that older adults sometimes have difficulty following directions during a neurologic examination or diagnostic procedure. What strategies can the nurse practitioner use to examine older clients?

Provide brief instructions, one step at a time

When learning about the nervous system, students learn that which nervous system regulates the expenditure of energy?

Sympathetic

A patient comes to the emergency department with severe pain in the face that was stimulated by brushing the teeth. What cranial nerve does the nurse understand can cause this type of pain?

V

A nurse is performing a neurologic assessment on the client and notes a positive Romberg test. This test for balance is related to which of the following cranial nerves?

VIII

The nurse who is employed in a neurologist's office is performing a history and assessment on a client experiencing hearing difficulty. The nurse is most correct to gather equipment to assess the function of cranial nerve:

VIII

If a client has a lower motor neuron lesion, the nurse would expect the client to exhibit

decreased muscle tone

Low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin lead to which of the following disease processes?

depression

A patient recently noted difficulty maintaining his balance and controlling fine movements. The nurse explains that the provider will order diagnostic studies for the part of his brain known as the:

Cerebellum

Which is a sympathetic effect of the nervous system?

Dilated pupils

Which neurotransmitter inhibits pain transmission?

Enkephalin

A patient is admitted to a specialty care unit with a diagnosis of an upper motor neuron lesion. The nurse assesses the patient and documents the presence of:

Muscle spasticity.

A patient has been diagnosed with damage to Broca's area of the left frontal lobe. To document the extent of damage, the nurse would assess the patient's:

Speech

A patient is being tested for a gag reflex. When the nurse places the tongue blade to the back of the throat, there is no response elicited. What dysfunction does the nurse determine the patient has?

Dysfunction of the vagus nerve

A client has undergone a lumbar puncture as part of a neurological assessment. The client is put under the care of a nurse after the procedure. Which important postprocedure nursing intervention should be performed to ensure the client's maximum comfort?

Encourage the client to drink liberal amounts of fluids