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, but not deeper investigation such as
neuroimaging. It can be used both as a screening tool and as an investigative tool, the former of which when examining the patient when there is no expected neurological deficit and the latter of which when examining a patient where you do expect to find abnormalities. If a problem is found either in an investigative or screening process then further tests can be carried out to focus on a particular aspect of the nervous system (such as
lumbar punctures and
blood tests).