Question

A female client has a neurological deficit involving the limbic system. Specific to this type of deficit, the nurse would document which of the following information related to the client's behavior.

A. Is disoriented to person, place, and time.
B. Affect is flat, with periods of emotional lability.
C. Cannot recall what was eaten for breakfast today.
D. Demonstrate inability to add and subtract; does not know who is the president.

Answer 1

The nurse would document behavior such as a flat affect and emotional lability due to a neurological deficit in the limbic system, related to memory and emotion regulation functions.

Step-by-step explanation:

When documenting behavior related to a neurological deficit of the limbic system, a nurse might note that a client exhibits a flat affect, characterized by emotional lability. These symptoms result from damage to structures within the limbic system, like the hippocampus and amygdala, which are central to memory and emotion regulation. For example, patient HM, who underwent a bilateral temporal lobectomy, showed significant impairments in both memory functions and emotional stability, reflecting the critical role of the medial temporal lobe structures in these processes.