Which test would involve placing a paper clip in the palm of the patient whose eyes are closed and asking them to recognize the object?

Stereognosis is a cortical sensory function requiring the parietal lobe to integrate tactile input for object identification without visual cues. It necessitates intact primary sensations and high-level somatosensory processing to discern physical properties. Deficits often indicate contralateral cerebral cortex lesions. A. Graphesthesia: This test evaluates the ability to recognize numbers or letters traced on the skin, usually the palm. It assesses higher-order cortical sensory processing when the patient cannot see the stimulus. This requires different mental mapping than identifying three-dimensional objects. B. Stereognosis: Placing a familiar object like a paper clip in the hand tests the tactile recognition of form and texture. The patient must synthesize sensory data to name the item. This specific procedure directly matches the maneuver described in the question stem. C. Extinction: This maneuver involves simultaneously stimulating symmetrical areas on both sides of the body to see if the patient perceives both. Failure to perceive one stimulus despite intact primary sensation indicates a sensory neglect. It does not involve object identification. D. Discrimination: Two-point discrimination measures the minimum distance at which two distinct tactile stimuli are perceived as separate. It assesses the density of sensory receptors and the precision of the somatosensory system. It does not require identifying a specific object.