Descriptive Psychopathology: The Signs and Symptoms of ...

329 Chapter 13: Testing and psychopathology of cognitive dysfunctionTable 13.7. Bedside left cerebral hemisphere cognitive testsTests of the right hand for motor regulationIdeo-motor praxisRight/left orientationAssessment for speech and lexical language including readingand writingCalculationsFinger gnosisVerbal problem-solving (3 plus 4 apples, 18 books)Abstract thinking (similarities)Fluency of ideas (animal naming)Verbal reasoning (absurdities)Right hand stereognosiaRight hand graphesthesiaTable 13.8. Bedside right cerebral hemisphere cognitive testsMotor and receptive prosodyTests of motor regulation of the left handCopying shapesVisual memoryAssessing for left-side spatial neglectFacial recognitionLeft hand stereognosiaLeft hand graphesthesiaCortical disease is more often associated with aphasia, agnosia, and apraxia, andthinking problems. Subcortical disease is more often associated with bradykinesiaand bradyphrenia. Using the motor system to circumscribe the disease process isparticularly helpful in differentiating cortical from subcortical disease. In additionto bradykinesia, subcortical disease is more likely associated with basalganglia or cerebellar features. Thalamic disease is associated with problems withproprioception and somatosensory function.SummaryBehavior change is the most subtle expression of brain function and dysfunction,and all behavior has a cognitive component. Understanding the neurologicimplications of specific forms of psychopathology therefore facilitates the cognitiveexamination. Common considerations in cognitive assessment are delirium,