ABOUT THIS WEBSITE...
The "NEUROLOGIC EXAM VIDEOS AND DESCRIPTIONS: AN ANATOMICAL APPROACH" uses over 250 video demonstrations with narrative descriptions in an online tutorial. It presents the anatomical foundations of the neurologic exam and provides examples of both normal and abnormal conditions as exhibited by patients. Use the Table of Contents on the left to access these tutorials, organized by type of exam.
The website combines the use of anatomical diagrams, live patient exams, video patient cases and self-evaluation tools to accomplish its educational goals. It utilizes clinical video patient cases as digital movie files that can be viewed online or freely downloaded for local repurposing.
This "Clinical Dissection of the Nervous System: An Internet Accessible Tutorial" for Medical Neuroscience is authored by the University of Utah School of Medicine (Suzanne S. Stensaas, PhD), University of Nebraska Medical Center (Paul D. Larsen, MD), and the Fundación Stern, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Alejandro Stern).
The presentations interweave the neurological examination with neuroanatomy, laying the foundation for clinical problem solving by...
- first, establishing the anatomical concept;
- second, demonstrating the problem solving method;
- then third, allowing active participation in applying the method.
Anatomy and pathology of the nervous system is understood by directly visualizing it. This is best accomplished by handling the brain (or model of the brain as the case may be) and dissecting or taking it apart for direct examination. The purpose (for the clinician) of understanding neuroanatomy and neurophysiology is to be able to use that knowledge to solve clinical problems.
The first step in solving a clinical problem is anatomical localization. So, if one cannot directly inspect the patient's brain, how is this localization accomplished? The "WINDOW TO THE PATIENT'S BRAIN" is the neurological examination. A neuro exam is a series of tests and observations that reflects the function of various parts of the brain. If the exam is approached in a systematic and logical fashion that is organized in terms of anatomical levels and systems, then the clinician is lead to the anatomical location of the patient's problem.
As of November 2009, the movies found in the Neurologic Exam website are available for download and re-use in four different video formats depending on your needs...
- QuickTime, 320x240, Optimized for playback performance on any computer.
- QuickTime, 640x480/640x360; High Quality MPEG-4, H.264 compression (good for Macintosh-based PowerPoint or Keynote presentation software), now captioned in English

- Windows Media, 640x480/640x360; High Quality WinMedia v9 compression (good for Windows-based PowerPoint presentation software).
- Mobile Devices & SmartPhones, MPEG-4 baseline compression for many portable devices.
CLOSED CAPTIONS IN ENGLISH...
We are pleased to announce that as of November 2012 the QuickTime 640x480/640x360 versions of the movies now include closed captions in English. Complete instructions for turning captions ON or OFF are available. From the options in the left-hand menus, look for the link to "HOW TO SHOW CLOSED CAPTIONS
."
Summarized below is the quick version of the instructions for turning captions ON or OFF:
- VIEWING FROM THE WEBSITE: Any movie listed in a website page has three blue buttons: VIEW NOW, BIGGER "CC", and DOWNLOAD.

If you click the BIGGER "CC" button, a larger sized movie opens in a new window. By default, the closed captions do not automatically show.
- Simply right-mouse-click anywhere over the movie itself (or Control + Click with early versions of a Macintosh mouse).
- From the sub-menu that appears, select "SHOW CLOSED CAPTIONING." Wait a few seconds for the captions to begin.
- VIEWING IN QUICKTIME PLAYER AFTER DOWNLOADING A MOVIE: If you download one of our movies, and choose the QuickTime 640x480 size, the downloaded movie can be viewed directly in Apple's QuickTime Player. To reveal the closed captions:
- Select the player's menu item named "VIEW."
- Then select "SHOW CLOSED CAPTIONING."
- Please be sure you are using Apple's QuickTime Player and not Windows Media Player. Our captions cannot be revealed when watching the movies with Windows Media Player.
- MOBILE DEVICES: Additional instructions for revealing closed captions in mobile devices, such as iPhones and iPads, are found on the page "HOW TO SHOW CLOSED CAPTIONS
."
NEUROLOGIC CASES...
A complementary site attached to NEUROLOGIC EXAM is NEUROLOGIC CASES. In a step-by-step method, Neurological Cases allows the learner to practice anatomical localization of neurologic pathologies. The six steps are...
- (1) View the Case History;
- (2) View the Neurological Exam;
- (3) Select from the Checklist of Finding;
- (4) Localize the Level(s) of the Lesion;
- (5) Identify the damaged Structures; and
- (6) View the Case Discussion.
PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGIC EXAM...
Another companion website to the ADULT NEUROLOGIC EXAM is the PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGIC EXAM, where the neurological examination of the pediatric patient is presented within the context of neurodevelopmental milestones for Newborns, 3 month-olds, 6 month-olds, 12 month-olds, 18 month-olds, and 2-and-a-half year-olds. You can jump to the Pediatric Neurologic Exam by using the button PEDINEUROLOGIC EXAM at the top of any web page in this site.