Neurological Exam
Reviewed
Also called: neuro exam, neurological examination
A neurological exam (neuro exam) is a group of questions and tests to check for disorders of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. It is used to check health, diagnose symptoms, assess injury, or monitor known conditions. The exam is performed by a neurologist or other provider and involves various tests of mental status, cranial nerves, coordination, reflexes, sensory nerves, and autonomic functions.
Specimen: No specimen is required.
Why this test may be ordered
- To check the health of your nervous system during a routine checkup.
- To help find out whether a nervous system disorder is causing symptoms such as pain, tremors, weakness, balance problems, numbness, sensory changes, slurred speech, confusion, or seizures.
- To help assess nerve damage after an injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury).
- To monitor a known nerve condition and see if treatment is helping.
Preparation and collection
No special preparation is needed.
A neurologist or other healthcare provider will first ask about symptoms and medical history, perform a physical exam including heart and lungs, then conduct specific tests to check different parts of the nervous system. Tests may assess mental status (memory, problem-solving, alertness, mood), cranial nerves (smell, speech, vision, etc.), coordination/balance/walking (e.g., walking in a straight line, touching finger to nose), reflexes (e.g., knee-jerk test), sensory nerves (touch, temperature, vibration, pain), and autonomic nervous system (blood pressure, heartbeat, pupil response).
According to MedlinePlus, there are no known risks to having a neurological exam.
Understanding results
Results are reported as normal or abnormal for each part of the exam. Your healthcare provider will interpret the overall findings.
- Normal: Your exam was normal. Limitation: A normal result means no signs of nervous system disorder were detected during the exam. However, it does not guarantee the absence of all conditions. Next step: If symptoms continue, follow up with your provider.
- Abnormal: One or more parts of your exam were not normal. Limitation: An abnormal result indicates one or more parts of the exam did not respond as expected. This often leads to further testing. Next step: Your provider will order additional tests to help identify the cause.
- The neurological exam is a clinical assessment and does not provide a definitive diagnosis by itself. Abnormal results require additional testing to confirm a condition.
- Normal results do not rule out all nervous system disorders; ongoing symptoms should still be discussed with a healthcare provider.
- The exam is subjective and depends on patient cooperation and provider skill.
What to do next
If any part of the exam is not normal, your provider will likely order additional tests such as blood/urine tests, imaging (MRI), cerebrospinal fluid analysis, biopsy, or nerve function tests (EEG, EMG) to help diagnose a condition. If the exam is normal but symptoms persist, consult your provider.
- What symptoms are you experiencing?
- What is your medical history?
- Can you tell me the date, time, and where you are?
- Can you remember a list of items and repeat them?
- Can you identify certain smells? (if testing cranial nerves)