Abstract
Summary The mental status examination is an instrument of behavioural neurology that is used to identify and characterise specifi c disturbances of cerebral function relating to cognitive functions (such as memory and language), emotion and overt behaviour. It is conducted in a systematic fashion but is simple enough to be used at the bedside. Neurological conditions in which the mental status examination can provide clinically important information include stroke, encephalitis, dementia, hypoxic or metabolic encephalopathy, cerebral tumours and traumatic brain injury. This chapter describes methods to assess the following brain functions: level of consciousness, attention, concentration and mental control, language, memory, constructional ability, higher level sensory and motor functions, frontal lobe (executive) functions, and neuropsychiatric control functions.
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