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Graphesthesia is the ability to recognize writing on the skin purely by the sensation of touch. Its name derives from Greek graphē ("writing") and aisthēsis ("perception"). Graphesthesia tests combined cortical sensation; therefore, it is necessary that primary sensation be intact.
Graphesthesia is the ability in which a person is able to recognize a number or letter that is written on the person's skin. [3] Like other tactile discrimination tests, the test for this is a measurement of the patient's sense of touch, and requires that the patient perform the test voluntarily and without visual contact.
Agraphesthesia, or the lack of graphesthesia ability, results from brain damage, particularly to the parietal lobe, thalamus, and secondary somatosensory cortex. [1]A significant relationship has been found between agraphesthesia and people living with Alzheimer's disease.
A neurological examination is the assessment of sensory neuron and motor responses, especially reflexes, to determine whether the nervous system is impaired. This typically includes a physical examination and a review of the patient's medical history, [1] but not deeper investigation such as neuroimaging.
Romberg's test is not a test of cerebellar function, as it is commonly misconstrued. Patients with severe cerebellar ataxia will generally be unable to balance even with their eyes open; [ 6 ] therefore, the test cannot proceed beyond the first step and no patient with cerebellar ataxia can correctly be described as Romberg's positive.
Two-point discrimination (2PD) is the ability to discern that two nearby objects touching the skin are truly two distinct points, not one.It is often tested with two sharp points during a neurological examination [1]: 632 [2]: 71 and is assumed to reflect how finely innervated an area of skin is.
Astereognosis (or tactile agnosia if only one hand is affected) is the inability to identify an object by active touch of the hands without other sensory input, such as visual or sensory information.
To test for intact barognosis, a set of small objects with the same size and shape but of graduated weight is used. A series of different weights can be placed one at a time in the same hand, and the patient is asked to identify the comparative weight of the objects, i.e. by saying whether the object is "heavier" or "lighter".