Muscle weakness may be due to disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) or peripheral nervous system (PNS). The PNS includes the primary sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia, nerve roots, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junctions, and muscles. Although not…
Paraplegia and quadriplegia may result from a variety of systemic and primary central nervous system medical conditions as well as trauma at all segmental levels of the spinal cord ( Box 27.1 ). A spinal cord syndrome may develop from…
Hemiplegia and monoplegia are more likely to be due to discrete focal lesions than diffuse lesions, so these presentations are especially suited to clinical-anatomical localization. Similarly, imaging studies are likely to be revealing with hemiplegia or monoplegia, but the focus…
The maintenance of an upright posture and the act of walking are among the first and ultimately most complex motor skills humans acquire. From an early age, walking skills are modified and refined. In later years, the interplay between voluntary…
The term movement disorders is often used synonymously with basal ganglia or extrapyramidal diseases . However, neither of the two latter terms adequately encompasses all the disorders included under the broad umbrella of movement disorders. Movement disorders are neurological motor…
The cerebellum, a unique brain structure with distinctly organized neuronal circuits, is critical for motor and cognitive functions. The cerebellum has dense neuronal connections with almost all regions of the cerebral cortex and brainstem, and can serve as a “hub”…
Dizziness is a term patients use to describe a variety of symptoms including spinning or movement of the environment (vertigo), lightheadedness, presyncope, or imbalance. Patients may also use the term for other sensations such as visual distortion, internal spinning, nonspecific…
Other chapters in this book that deal with symptoms emphasize history as the starting point for generating possibilities for the differential diagnosis. This list of diagnostic considerations is then refined during the examination. This chapter calls for a different approach.…
Headache is an exceedingly common symptom that affects virtually everyone at some time in life. It is estimated that nearly half of the world’s adults have an active headache disorder ( ). Headache is one of the most common reasons…
Disorders of smell and taste can jeopardize human safety and produce loss of appetite, unintended weight loss, malnutrition, occupational disability, and reduced quality of life. In a study of 750 patients with chemosensory disturbances, 68% reported altered quality of life,…