Syndromes Caused by Weak Muscles Definitions Weakness: cannot exert normal force. Paralysis, plegia: total loss of ability to contract muscle. Paresis: partial loss, but often used interchangeably with plegia. Hemiplegia:…

Involuntary Movements and Related Syndromes Involuntary Movements Athetosis Continuous, slow, writhing movements of the limbs (distal and proximal), trunk, head, face, or tongue. When brief, these merge with chorea (choreoathetosis)….

Approach to Headache and Facial Pain Headache Usually benign; occasionally manifestation of serious illness. Prevalence: occasional headaches, nearly 100% of population; severe headaches at least once a year, 40%. General…

Impaired Vision Ocular Lesions Causes: refractive error, opacity of ocular media, or retinal abnormality (e.g., retinal detachment, inflammation, hemorrhage, vascular occlusion). Sometimes with pain or soft-tissue swelling. Optic Nerve Lesions…

Dizziness and Hearing Loss Tinnitus Definition Any abnormal sound arising within head, perceived in one or both ears, or inside head. Continuous, intermittent, or pulsatile. Objective Tinnitus Heard by examiner…

Diagnosis of Pain and Paresthesias Definitions Neuropathic pain: lesion of the peripheral or central nervous system. Somatic pain: stimulation of peripheral nerve endings by lesions in a ligament, joint capsule,…

Coma Definitions Consciousness: awareness of self and environment; requires both arousal and mental content; requires integrity of reticular activating system and cerebral cortex. Lethargy, obtundation, stupor, coma: states of progressively…

Syncope, Seizures, and Their Mimics Syncope Definition Transient alteration of consciousness and loss of muscular tone due to acute, reversible global reduction in cerebral blood flow. Most common cause of…

Aphasia, Apraxia, Agnosia Aphasia Definition Disturbance of language. Causes: stroke (most common cause); mass lesions (e.g., tumor); neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., primary progressive aphasia). Left hemisphere dominant for language in 95%…

Delirium and Dementia Delirium Definition State of mental confusion; global mental dysfunction with prominent alteration, often fluctuating, of alertness or attention. Common features: disorientation, fluctuating level of consciousness, inability to…