Reply separately to two of your peer’s posts (See attached peer’s posts, post#1 and post#2). 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Your responses should be in a well-developed paragraph (300-350 words) to each peer. Integrating an evidence-based resource!!

Note: DO NOT CRITIQUE THEIR POSTS, DO NOT AGREE OR DISAGREE, just add new informative content regarding to their topic that is validated via citations. 

• Insight on a solution to an identified peer challenge.
• Resources that may be helpful related to your peers’ post. 

Utilize at least two scholarly references per peer post. Please, send me the two documents separately, for example one is the reply to my peers Post #1, and the second one is the reply to my other peer Post #2.

– Minimum of 300 words per peer reply.

Background: I live in South Florida, I am currently enrolled in the Psych Mental Health Practitioner Program, I am a Registered Nurse, I work in a Psychiatric Hospital.

Reply Posts

Respond to your peers’ post and include the following:

· Insight on a solution to an identified peer challenge.

· Resources that may be helpful related to your peers’ post.

POST # 1 Wanda

(Wanda’s initial Post)

Reflect on the focus area or system(s) for the week.

· What challenges might you anticipate in completing this assessment?

· What differences might you anticipate when assessing patients across the lifespan?

· Share findings from scholarly resources that help in the performance of this assessment.

· What challenges might you anticipate in completing this assessment? There are hundreds of conditions that can cause problems with the nervous system, which could pose a problem with accurately diagnosing your patient. According to Bickley et al. (2017), making a neurologic diagnosis can be difficult because lesions at different nervous system levels can cause the same physical finding. One could have many challenges when completing this week’s assessment, like the assessment process itself, making an accurate diagnosis, and gathering subjective information. Therefore, when performing the neurologic examination, it is prudent to implement a fixed routine to minimize the exclusion of one of its critical components (Bickley et al., 2017). A lot comes with the nervous system for it to work correctly. According to Koch and Laurent (1999), the brain is often described as the most complex system in the universe. It controls and coordinates movements, form memories, and control behavior amongst other things. Therefore, the nervous system is overly complicated because it needs other systems to make it work. The nervous system detects environmental changes that impact the body and then work with the endocrine system to respond to those changes. 

· What differences might you anticipate when assessing patients across the lifespan? According to Oberman and Pascual-Leone (2013), plasticity allows for the formation of organized nervous system circuitry and functional networks formation in prenatal and early postnatal development. As the individual is subjected to different sensory stimuli in the environment, brain plasticity allows for functional and structural adaptation and underlies learning and memory (Oberman & Pascual-Leone, 2013). During the developmental stages, children and young adults seem to have similar forms of functionally connected regions. However, there are differences in the size of functionally related areas and the strength of functional connectivity between brain regions (Oberman & Pascual-Leone, 2013). During adolescence and adulthood, the brain continues to display the capacity to adapt to the ever-changing environment, showing both functional and structural changes throughout the lifespan (Oberman & Pascual-Leone, 2013). In older adults, natural changes to the brain and nervous system occur.  The brain and spinal cord lose nerve cells and weight (atrophy). Nerve cells start to pass messages slower. Waste products can accumulate in the brain tissue as nerve cells break down. This can cause abnormal brain changes called plaques and tangles to form (medlineplus.gov., 2021).

· Share findings from scholarly resources that help in the performance of this assessment. A resource that may help in the neurological assessment’s understanding is this book Clinical methods: The history, physical and laboratory examinations (3rd ed.), chapter 50, discuss the suggested sequence of the neurologic assessment and the five principal divisions of the examination. The book also talks about various frequent neurologic symptoms.

References

Aging changes in the nervous system: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2021, February 26). From https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004023.htm

Bickley, L. S., Szilagyi, P. G., & Hoffman, R. M. (2017). Bates guide to physical examination and history taking (12th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.

Koch, C., & Laurent, G. (1999). Complexity and the Nervous System. Science, 284(5411), 96-98. doi:10.1126/science.284.5411.96

Oberman, L., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2013). Changes in Plasticity Across the Lifespan. Changing Brains – Applying Brain Plasticity to Advance and Recover Human Ability Progress in Brain Research, 91-120. doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-63327-9.00016-3

Walker, H. K., Hall, W. D., & Hurst, J. W. (1990). Clinical methods: The history, physical and laboratory examinations (3rd ed.). Boston: Butterworths.

Assignment instructions:

Reply Posts

Respond to your peers’ post and include the following:

· Insight on a solution to an identified peer challenge.

· Resources that may be helpful related to your peers’ post.

POST # 1 Dayanne

(Dayanne’s initial Post)

Reflect on the focus area or system(s) for the week.

· What challenges might you anticipate in completing this assessment?

· What differences might you anticipate when assessing patients across the lifespan?

· Share findings from scholarly resources that help in the performance of this assessment.

The complex and anatomy and physiology of the nervous system make the examination and assessment challenging. As in any other system, obtaining a thorough history is essential in diagnosis. The nervous system affects all other body system; therefore, it is important to understand neural function and dysfunctions. Bickley (2017) reports assessment of the nervous system begins within the first encounter with the patient. 
The Neurological assessment will differ throughout the different life span. The brain and nervous system tend to change with the aging process. The brain and spinal cord lose nerve cells and atrophy. Neuron’s communication slows down, and the build of plaques and tangles occurs which is seen in dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (Aging changes in the nervous system, n.d.). 
In comparison of children, the nervous system is associated with the developmental stages. Any dysfunctions to the nervous system can cause delays in the child’s normal development and functions. In infants and younger children, a neurological exam includes the measurement of the head circumference (Neurological exam for children, n.d.). Furthermore, assessment of motor, sensory skills, balance, coordination, reflexes all determine the function of the brain, spinal cord and neuromuscular system. 
Comprehensive Neurological Examination | Nurse Key This link may be providing some useful information

References
Aging changes in the nervous system. (n.d.). Retrieved from Medline Plus: 

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004023.htm

Bickley, L. (2017). Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.
Neurological exam for children. (n.d.). Retrieved from Stanford Children’s Health: 

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=neurological-examination-for-children-90-P02613