A 70-year-old patient is being closely monitored in the neurological critical care unit for a severe closed head injury. After 48 hours, signs of deterioration occur: pupils are small and sluggish, pulse pressure is widening, and heart rate is bradycardic. These clinical findings are evidence of what stage of intracranial hypertension?

Alterations in cognitive systems, cerebral hemodynamics, and motor function can cause problems and diseases that affect functional adequacy.  Some examples of alterations in cognitive systems include: Alterations in arousal, Alterations in awareness, Data processing deficits, and Seizure disorders.  Some examples of alterations in cerebral hemodynamics include: Abnormalities in the control mechanisms regulating cerebral blood flow, Disorders of cerebral metabolism  Some examples of alterations in motor function include: Alterations in muscle tone, Alterations in movement, and... Show more

Alterations in cognitive systems, cerebral hemodynamics, and motor function can cause problems and diseases that affect functional adequacy. 

Some examples of alterations in cognitive systems include: Alterations in arousal, Alterations in awareness, Data processing deficits, and Seizure disorders. 
Some examples of alterations in cerebral hemodynamics include: Abnormalities in the control mechanisms regulating cerebral blood flow, Disorders of cerebral metabolism 

Some examples of alterations in motor function include: Alterations in muscle tone, Alterations in movement, and Extrapyramidal motor syndromes. 
Periventricular vascular lesions can cause simultaneous dysfunction in both motor and cognitive systems. This is due to the close proximity of frontal-subcortical circuits that control both systems.
 

Related Test: Pathophysiology Practice Test: Pain, Temperature, Sleep, and Sensory Function

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