Prep U Chapter 60 assessment of neurological function

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 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

A patient is treated for a neurologic dysfunction affecting facial expressions. The affected cranial nerve originates in the:

pons

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.

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."

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."

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."

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

Auditory Explanation: Lesions in the temporal lobe (lateral and superior portions) may result in auditory agnosia. Lesions in the occipital lobe may result in visual agnosia. Lesions in the parietal lobe may result in tactile agnosia. Lesions in the parietal lobe (posteroinferior regions) may result in relationship and body part agnosia

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 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 headaches are caused by which of the following?

Cerebral spinal fluid leakage at the puncture site

Which occurs when reflexes are hyperactive when the foot is abruptly dorsiflexed?

Clonus Explanation: Clonus occurs when the foot is abruptly dorsiflexed. It continues to "beat" two or three times before it settles into a position of rest. Sustained clonus always indicates the present of central nervous system disease and requires further evaluation. Ataxia is incoordination of voluntary muscle action. Rigidity is an increase in muscle tone at rest characterized by increased resistance to passive movement. Flaccid posturing is usually the result of lower brain stem dysfunction; the client has no motor function, is limp, and lacks motor tone.

A patient is having a lumbar puncture and the physician has removed 20 mL of cerebrospinal fluid. What nursing intervention is a priority after the procedure?

Have the patient lie flat for 6 hours.

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 is a sympathetic effect of the nervous system?

Dilated pupils Explanation: Dilated pupils are a sympathetic effect of the nervous system, whereas constricted pupils are a parasympathetic effect. Decreased blood pressure is a parasympathetic effect, whereas increased blood pressure is a sympathetic effect. Increased peristalsis is a parasympathetic effect, but decreased peristalsis is a sympathetic effect. Decreased respiratory rate is a parasympathetic effect, and increased respiratory rate is a sympathetic effect.

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

A male client is scheduled for an electroencephalogram (EEG). When the nurse caring for the client is preparing him for the test, the client states that during childhood he was mildly electrocuted but miraculously lived. Therefore, he is quite afraid of going through an EEG. In what ways can the nurse help dispel the client's fear regarding the test?

Inform the client that he will not experience any electrical shock.

Which neurons transmit impulses from the CNS?

Motor Neurons are either sensory or motor. Sensory neurons transmit impulses to the CNS; motor neurons transmit impulses from the CNS. A membranous sheath called the neurilemma covers the myelin of axons in peripheral nerves. Dendrites are threadlike projections or fibers.

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

Parietal Explanation: The parietal lobe is the primary sensory cortex. It is essential to a person's awareness of his body in space, as well as orientation in space and spatial relations.

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

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

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 which cranial nerve?

VIII

Which of the following neurotransmitters are deficient in myasthenia gravis?

acetylcholine

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

agnosia

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

ataxia

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

The critical care nurse is giving end-of-shift report on a client. 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 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, what does the nurse anticipate the liver will do?

convert glycogen to glucose for immediate use.

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

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

decreased muscle tone

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

electromyography

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

frontal

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 bed elevated to 45 degrees

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

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 that is slowing transmission of the motor neurons, in what would the nurse anticipate a delayed reaction?

response due to interrupted impulses from the central nervous system

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

serotonin

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

thought content

The nurse is preparing the client for a diagnostic test to evaluate blood flow within intracranial blood vessels. For which test is the nurse preparing the client?

transcranial doppler

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