Neurological examination is a type of medical examination that is used to diagnose any underlying mental disorders in the brain. It comprises of:

EEG- Electroencephalogram: This is used to review the brain wave patterns when the individual is in sleeping and awake states. It is an explicit record of the brain’s electrical activity and is obtained by placing electrodes on the scalp and magnifying the minute brain wave impulses from various areas of the brain. These impulses obtain oscillating pens whose divergences are traced on a strip of paper moving at a constant speed. Significant divergences from normal patterns reflect brain abnormalities that can be caused by various disorders such as brain tumor or lesion.

Anatomical Brain Scans: These include

CAT scan- also known as computerized axial tomography and is a radiological technology. Here the use of x-rays is made to derive images of various parts of the brain that might be unhealthy. This process involves the application of computer analysis applied to x-ray beams across sections of an individual’s brain to produce images that a neurologist can examine.

MRI scan- this is also known as magnetic resonance imaging and is more advanced than CAT scans. This is widely used to detect abnormalities in the central nervous system (CNS), particularly the brain. The images of the brain’s interior are clearer than those of a CAT scan.

PET scan is a scanning technique that is also known as positron emission tomography. It allows one to see how an organ is functioning by measuring the metabolic processes by producing metabolic portraits. PET scans can lead to a number of important discoveries about the organic processes underlying various mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, alcoholism etc.

Functional MRI- This is a recently developed neurological examination technique that has not been applied extensively. It reveals the brain structure as well as activity which MRI scan is unable to do. The mechanism of FMRI involves measuring changes in the local blood flow of the brain tissue that depends upon neuronal activity such as sensations, images and thoughts that can be mapped, revealing certain areas of the brain that appear to be involved in their neuropsychological mediation.