ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the student to the basics of neurological investigation as an aid to the problem-oriented text. It aims to introduce the student to techniques, indications, sensitivity, specificity, and potential complications of the tools used to diagnose and help treat neurological disease. Cognitive function is investigated by the clinician as part of the neurological examination that is bedside cognitive testing. Orientation is usually assessed as part of bedside cognitive testing, where it comprises a third of the total score of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The MMSE acts as a brief assessment of cognitive function, but is used more by the neurologist in clinic rather than by the neuropsychologist. Intelligence is thought to be the ultimate expression of cognitive ability. The most widely used measure of intelligence is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R). Measures of verbal reasoning include the comprehension and similarities subtests of the WAIS-R.
