Higher Cortical Functions

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Ammar Alnajjar

Higher Cortical Functions


1- Consciousness 2- Orientation 3- Memory 4- Speech 5- Gait

1- Consciousness Level: response to external & internal stimuli


A- Conscious →respond spontaneously
B- Drowsy → respond to verbal stimuli (‫)هذا اذا نعوفه ينام‬
C- Stupor → respond to painful stimuli
D- Coma → no response

2- Orientation: awareness of time, place, person Ask direct questions


if he doesn’t know ask indirect
questions

3- Memory: ‫ أشياء و اكله عيدها‬3 ‫انطي‬ ‫كشمولة‬.‫د‬


a- Registration (3 numbers)
a- Immediate → < 5 min‫راسا‬
b- Early memory (7 numbers)
b- Short term → > 5 min ‫أيام) وره خمس دقايق‬/‫(ساعات‬ c- Intermediate memory (5-3 min)
c- Long term → month/years ‫اسئل شغالت قديمة كلش‬ d- Late memory

Patient with Dementia → lose short term memory first


‫الن معظم الخلل يصير بالمنطقة المسؤولة عن الذاكرة القصيرة‬
Hippocampus in temporal lobe

4- Speech: ‫ شنو لغته؟ سمعه زين؟ التعليم؟ يمناوي لو يسراوي؟‬,‫الزم نتأكد من المريض‬

Notes
1- Auditory area (cortex) → receiving input from the ears in temporal lobe
2- Wernicke’s area → responsible for comprehension of speech (sensory part) ‫ يفسر الحجي‬in temporal lobe.
3- arcuate fasciculus → connect Wernicke’s to Broca’s
4- Broca’s area → responsible for production of speech (motor part) ‫ تحول الكالم‬in frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere

- Aphasia is an inability to comprehend or formulate language


- Dysphasia is impairment of the power of expression by speech, writing, or signs, or impairment of the power of
comprehension of spoken or written language.

- Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder in which the muscles that are used to produce speech are damaged, paralyzed, or
weakened.

- anomia is a type of aphasia characterized by problems recalling words, names, and numbers
- Agnosia is an inability to recognize and identify objects or persons.

- Dysphonia → disorders of the voice


- Aphonia → the inability to produce voiced sound

1- Comprehension: ‫فهم اللغة‬


Wernicke’s area → sensory part of speech

‫ من احجي وياه الزم يكون مفتهم و أحاول اغطي حلكي من احجي بااليد‬,‫يحجي بطالقة و مفتهم‬
– ‫ أوامر‬3 ‫ما اغطي حلكي او اوكف وره المريض و انطي‬

2- Fluency: ‫جريان الكالم‬


Broca’s area → motor part of speech

- ‫( اخلي يحجي و يسولف‬fluent)

Damage to the Wernicke’s area: ‫حجي مخربط ما بي أي معنى‬


Wernicke’s dysphasia (superior temporal gyrus *inferior branch of MCA)
- salad of words
- meaningless
- neologisms (invented words)

Damage to the broca’s area (Inferior frontal gyrus *superior branch of MCA)
- Broca's dysphasia → partial loss of the ability to produce language
(spoken, manual, or written
‫ قليل يحجي بس يفهم األوامر‬effortful speech

Global aphasia → no comprehension or fluency (both areas effected) stroke (Complete MCA

3- Reading: ‫ اقره جملة‬do it not read it


4- Writing: ‫اذا ميعرف يكتب خليرسم‬

- agraphia → inability to write, as a language disorder resulting from brain


damage.
- Dyslexia → ‫ميكدر يقره‬
5- Repetition: ‫عبارة يعيدها وراية مباشرة‬

Conduction aphasia is the inability to repeat words or phrases.

6- Naming: common object


a- ‫شنو اسم هذا الشي‬
‫اذا ميعرف‬
anomia is a type of aphasia characterized by problems recalling words,
names, and numbers (angular gyrus lesion)

b- ‫شنو نسوي بي‬


‫اذامعرف‬
Agnosia is an inability to recognize and identify objects
a- Visual agnosia
b- Auditory agnosia
c- Tactile agnosia

Q/Causes of aphasia & dysphasia?


A/problem in the speech center in cortex (Wernicke’s, Broca’s, Transcortical)

Dysphonia: problem in the phonation


vocal cord‫ لحد ال‬brain ‫يعني خلل من ال‬
:‫مثال‬
1- Laryngitis ‫صوته مبحوح‬
2- Stroke in speech center
3- ‫ ممكن‬cranial nerves

Dysarthria: problem in articulation


lips & mouth ‫ الى حد ال‬brain ‫يعني من ال‬
:‫مثال‬
1- Myasthenia gravis
2- Problem in brainstem
3- Facial palsy
Types of Dysarthria

1- Spastic (hot potato speech)


a- If lesion in one cortex → speech not effected
b- If lesion in both → Bilateral UMNL (pseudobulbar)

2- Scanning speech: is a type of ataxic dysarthria in which spoken words are broken up into separate
syllables, often separated by a noticeable pause, and spoken with varying force.
a- Cerebellum lesion (specific)

3- Slurred speech (Non specific)

4- Nasal speech (bulblar) LMNL

5- Slow monotonous speech: Parkinson’s & depression


6- Gait ‫اذا متمدد يكوم يكعد‬
1- Walk forward, turn & return back to me (10m) )‫ (ثابتة لو يترنح‬:‫نشوف الكعدة مالته‬
Note: truncal ataxia ‫يترنح‬
a- Time taken to complete first 10m ‫نخلي يكوم يوكف (زين لو فاتح رجليه من‬
b- Stride length )‫يوكف‬
wide based gait ‫اذا فاتح رجليه‬
c- Arm swing → no arm swing → extra-pyramidal tract
cerebellar lesion ‫او‬
lesion (Parkinson’s disease)
d- Steadiness Parkinson’s disease
e- Turning → ‫→ اذا ميكدر يدور بسرعة‬
f- Any limbing
Cerebellar lesion

2- Tandem gait (Heel to toe walking) Cerebellar lesion → ipsilateral gait ataxia
This gait is useful for emphasizing
Damage to vermis (median segment of cerebellum) →ataxia
gait ataxia but it can not enable
on both sides (truncal ataxia)
me to differentiate between
cerebellar or sensory ataxia.

3- Walk on tip of toes


Useful in emphasizing simple lordosis (increased anterior curvature of spinal cord)
Seen in achondroplasia & peripheral neuropathy

4- Walk on Heels In foot drop the patient slaps his


Useful in emphasizing mild foot drop → mild motor foot on the ground as he walks so
that the gait in foot drop is called
peripheral neuropathy
slapping gait
Poliomyelitis → unilateral foot drop

5- Romberg’s test If unsteadiness is noticed before


closing the eyes → Cerebellar ataxia
a- Stand up straight
b- Feet close together
c- Arms straight forward & fingers separated If unsteadiness is noticed after
d- Keep this position few seconds then close his eyes closing the eyes → Sensory ataxia
(impaired proprioceptive or what is
called joint receptors)
6- Gower’s test Normally → stand up easily
a- Squat with the hands behind the head
Proximal myopathy → can’t, climb up using
b- Ask him to stand up nearby objects

DDx of proximal myopathy is wide, including:


a- Duchenne muscular dystrophy
b- steroid (drug-induced)
c- autoimmune polymyopathy
d- osteomalacia

Gait Abnormality

1- Hemiplegic Gait (Circumductive gait/spasticity)

a- Flexion of hand
b- Extension of the lower limb

Causes: after stroke (due to corticospinal lesion)

‫ حيصير‬upper ‫ بال‬pyramidal tract lesion‫الن عادة بال‬


flexor stronger than extensor‫ال‬
extensor stronger than flexor‫ ال‬lower ‫اما بال‬

2- Shuffling Gait

a- Small short steps


b- Loss of arm swing

Causes:
a- Parkinson’s disease
b- Extrapyramidal lesion

‫ ينحني ليكدام‬rigid‫ تكون‬trunk ‫هذا ينحني ليكدام الن عضلة ال‬


‫ يكوم يمشي اسرع حتى ليوكع و يوزع الشغل‬gravity ‫ويه‬

Small steps then large & fast steps

In parkinson’s → rigidity in proximal muscles


other than distal
3- Wide Based Gait Cerebellar ataxia:
‫ يمشي خطوات جبيرة‬.‫ما يكدر يسد رجله‬ a- Wide based gait
b- Ataxic gait

Causes: (lesion in the cerebellum) (broad stand, they can’t stand


a- Bilateral cerebellar hemisphere normally, tend to fall)
b- Vermis of the cerebellum is involved (Truncal ataxia) ‫ و همين‬ipsilateral

4- Ataxic Gait
‫يترنح ويه المشي على جهة‬

Causes:
Cerebellum lesion (unilateral)

‫ و يكون الترنح على الجهة المضروبة‬ipsilateral

5- Waddling Gait (Myopathic gait)

‫يمشي مثل البطة‬


‫المريض يميل الن العضلة القريبة ضعيفة‬
‫فيحاول يخلي القوة على العضلة األعلى‬
‫فيميل من جهة بعدين يميل على الجهة‬
‫الثانية‬

Causes:
a- Pregnant
b- Proximal weakness
(hypothyroidism, osteoporosis,
osteomalacia)
6- Stomping Gait (foot drop) → sensory ataxia
‫يطب رجله بالكاع‬

Causes:
a- distal nerve injury
b- Loss of position & vibration
sensation → peripheral
neuropathy, B12 Deficiency

7- Steppage Gait (Neuropathic gait)


They can’t dorsiflex because their foot is very relaxed

Causes:

a- Peroneal muscle atrophy or peroneal nerve injury, as with a


spinal problem (such as spinal stenosis or herniated disc

b- Charcot mary tooth disease

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