Lesson 1Mental status and language assessment: orientation, attention, naming, repetition, comprehension tests for aphasia detectionFocus on rapid bedside assessment of consciousness, orientation, attention, memory, and language domains, including naming, repetition, fluency, and comprehension, to detect aphasia, delirium, and subtle cognitive deficits quickly.
Level of consciousness and arousalOrientation and short‑term memoryAttention and working memory testsNaming, repetition, and fluencyComprehension and command followingLesson 2Special bedside tests: brief seizure mimic assessments (postictal confusion, tongue biting, incontinence), TIA mimics, and orthostatic vital signsReview focused bedside maneuvers to identify seizure and TIA mimics, including postictal signs, tongue injury, incontinence, psychogenic features, and orthostatic vital signs, helping distinguish true vascular events from alternatives.
Postictal confusion and recovery profileTongue biting and incontinence cluesFeatures suggesting psychogenic eventsScreening for common TIA mimicsOrthostatic blood pressure and pulseLesson 3Sensory exam: pinprick/light touch, proprioception, cortical sensory signs, and sensory extinction/neglect testingCover bedside testing of primary and cortical sensory modalities, including pinprick, light touch, vibration, proprioception, graphesthesia, and extinction, with emphasis on patterns dat distinguish peripheral, spinal, brainstem, and cortical lesions.
Pinprick and light touch techniqueVibration and joint position senseTesting graphesthesia and stereognosisDetecting extinction and neglectPatterns of sensory level and hemibody lossLesson 4Cranial nerve exam targeted to this presentation: facial symmetry, dysarthria vs aphasia, gaze, visual fields (confrontation), and pupillary assessmentDetail a targeted cranial nerve screen for suspected stroke, including facial symmetry, dysarthria versus aphasia, eye movements, visual fields by confrontation, and pupils, emphasizing rapid techniques and key localizing patterns.
Rapid facial symmetry assessmentDistinguishing dysarthria from aphasiaBedside gaze and eye movement testingConfrontation visual field techniquesPupillary size, reactivity, and anisocoriaLesson 5How to record focused exam findings clearly and translate into localization statementsExplain how to organize focused neurological findings, use standard terminology, and convert raw observations into concise localization statements dat guide differential diagnosis, imaging choices, and urgent management decisions.
Standard neurologic note structureKey normal and abnormal exam phrasesLinking signs to lesion localizationWriting one‑line localization summariesLesson 6Gait and balance assessment: timed gait, tandem walk, and assessment for fall risk or intermittent collapseProvide a structured approach to gait and balance, including timed walks, tandem gait, Romberg, and observation for freezing, ataxia, or collapse, to estimate fall risk and localize cerebellar, sensory, or frontal gait disorders.
Observation of stance and initiationTimed gait and turning assessmentTandem walk and Romberg testingIdentifying ataxic and frontal gaitsScreening for intermittent collapseLesson 7Motor exam: tone, power grading, focal weakness patterns, pronator drift, and rapid bedside tests for subtle hemiparesisOutline a focused motor exam emphasizing tone, power grading, pronator drift, rapid strength screens, and subtle asymmetries, with patterns dat distinguish upper from lower motor neuron weakness and functional disorders.
Assessing bulk and involuntary movementsGrading power using MRC scaleEvaluating tone and spastic catchPronator drift and orbiting testsRapid screening for subtle hemiparesisLesson 8Coordination and cerebellar testing: finger-nose, heel-shin, dysdiadochokinesia and interpretation in focal cortical vs cerebellar causesDescribe bedside coordination testing with finger-nose-finger, heel-knee-shin, rapid alternating movements, and rebound, and explain how to separate cerebellar, sensory, and cortical causes of limb incoordination.
Finger‑nose‑finger performance errorsHeel‑knee‑shin and truncal ataxiaRapid alternating movement testingRebound and overshoot phenomenaDifferentiating sensory from cerebellar ataxia
