For the journal, see Neurology (journal). This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.

No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you ca n. (March 2009) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help im prove this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material m ay be challenged and removed. (February 2009) Neurologist Occupation Names Physician, Medical Practitioner Activity sectors Medicine Description Education required M.D. or D.O. (US), M.B.B.S. (UK), M.B. B.Ch. B.A.O. (Rep ublic of Ireland)

Neurology (from Greek , neuron, "nerve" + the suffix -, '-logia', "study of") is a specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. To be specific, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the cen tral, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, bloo d vessels, and all effector tissue, such as muscle.[1] The corresponding surgica l specialty is neurosurgery. A neurologist is a physician specializing in neurol ogy and trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders. Ne urologists may also be involved in clinical research, and clinical trials, as we ll as basic research and translational research. Neurology, being a branch of me dicine, differs from neuroscience, which is the scientific study of the nervous system in all its aspects. Contents 1 2 3 4 Field of work Qualifications Testing examinations Clinical tasks 4.1 General caseload 4.2 Overlapping areas 4.3 Relationship to clinical neurophysiology 4.4 Overlap with psychiatry Cosmetic neurology See also References External links

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Field of work A large number of neurological disorders have been described. These can affect t he central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), the peripheral nervous system , or the autonomic nervous system. Qualifications Jean-Martin Charcot is considered one of the fathers of neurology.[2] In the United States and Canada, neurologists are physicians who have completed postgraduate training in neurology after graduation from medical school. Neurolo gists complete, on average, at least 1013 years of college education and clinical training. This training includes obtaining a four-year undergraduate degree, a medical degree (D.O. or M.D.), which comprises an additional four years of study , and then completing a three or four-year residency in neurology. The four-year residency consists of one year of internal medicine training followed by three years of training in neurology. One- and two-year fellowships are available foll owing completion of the neurology residency, if desired. Many neurologists also have additional subspecialty training (fellowships) after completing their residency in one area of neurology such as stroke or vascular

neurology, interventional neurology, epilepsy, neuromuscular, neurorehabilitatio n, behavioral neurology, sleep medicine, pain management, neuroimmunology, clini cal neurophysiology, or movement disorders. In Germany, a compulsory year of psychiatry must be done to complete a residency of neurology. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, neurology is a subspecialty of general (inter nal) medicine. After five to nine years of medical school and a year as a pre-re gistration house officer (or two years on the Foundation Programme), a neurologi st must pass the examination for Membership of the Royal College of Physicians ( or the Irish equivalent) before entering specialist training in neurology. A gen eration ago, some neurologists would have also spent a couple of years working i n psychiatric units and obtain a Diploma in Psychological Medicine. However, thi s requirement has become uncommon, and, now that a basic psychiatric qualificati on takes three years to obtain, the requirement is no longer practical. A period of research is essential, and obtaining a higher degree aids career progression : Many found it was eased after an attachment to the Institute of Neurology at Q ueen Square in London. Some neurologists enter the field of rehabilitation medic ine (known as physiatry in the US) to specialise in neurological rehabilitation, which may include stroke medicine as well as brain injuries. Testing examinations During a neurological examination, the neurologist reviews the patient's health history with special attention to the current condition. The patient then takes a neurological exam. Typically, the exam tests mental status, function of the cr anial nerves (including vision), strength, coordination, reflexes, and sensation . This information helps the neurologist determine whether the problem exists in the nervous system and the clinical localization. Localization of the pathology is the key process by which neurologists develop their differential diagnosis. Further tests may be needed to confirm a diagnosis and ultimately guide therapy and appropriate management. Clinical tasks General caseload Neurologists are responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of all the conditions mentioned above. When surgical intervention is required, the neu rologist may refer the patient to a neurosurgeon. In some countries, additional legal responsibilities of a neurologist may include making a finding of brain de ath when it is suspected that a patient is deceased. Neurologists frequently car e for people with hereditary (genetic) diseases when the major manifestations ar e neurological, as is frequently the case. Lumbar punctures are frequently perfo rmed by neurologists. Some neurologists may develop an interest in particular su bfields, such as dementia, movement disorders, headaches, epilepsy, sleep disord ers, chronic pain management, multiple sclerosis, or neuromuscular diseases. Overlapping areas There is some overlap with other specialties, varying from country to country an d even within a local geographic area. Acute head trauma is most often treated b y neurosurgeons, whereas sequelae of head trauma may be treated by neurologists or specialists in rehabilitation medicine. Although stroke cases have been tradi tionally managed by internal medicine or hospitalists, the emergence of vascular neurology and interventional neurologists has created a demand for stroke speci alists. The establishment of JCAHO certified stroke centers has increased the ro le of neurologists in stroke care in many primary as well as tertiary hospitals. Some cases of nervous system infectious diseases are treated by infectious dise ase specialists. Most cases of headache are diagnosed and treated primarily by g eneral practitioners, at least the less severe cases. Likewise, most cases of sc iatica and other mechanical radiculopathies are treated by general practitioners , though they may be referred to neurologists or a surgeon (neurosurgeons or ort

hopedic surgeons). Sleep disorders are also treated by pulmonologists and psychi atrists. Cerebral palsy is initially treated by pediatricians, but care may be t ransferred to an adult neurologist after the patient reaches a certain age. In t he United Kingdom and other countries, many of the conditions encountered by old er patients such as movement disorders including Parkinson's Disease, stroke, de mentia or gait disorders are managed predominantly by specialists in geriatric m edicine. Clinical neuropsychologists are often called upon to evaluate brain-behavior rel ationships for the purpose of assisting with differential diagnosis, planning re habilitation strategies, documenting cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and mea suring change over time (e.g., for identifying abnormal aging or tracking the pr ogression of a dementia). Relationship to clinical neurophysiology In some countries, e.g. USA and Germany, neurologists may specialize in clinical neurophysiology, the field responsible for EEG, nerve conduction studies, EMG a nd evoked potentials. In other countries, this is an autonomous specialty (e.g., United Kingdom, Sweden). Overlap with psychiatry Further information: Psychoneuroimmunology and Neuropsychiatry Although mental illnesses are believed by some to be neurological disorders affe cting the central nervous system, traditionally they are classified separately, and treated by psychiatrists. In a 2002 review article in the American Journal o f Psychiatry, Professor Joseph B. Martin, Dean of Harvard Medical School and a n eurologist by training, wrote that "the separation of the two categories is arbi trary, often influenced by beliefs rather than proven scientific observations. A nd the fact that the brain and mind are one makes the separation artificial anyw ay".[3] However, the view that mental illness is purely a physical illness refle cts a school of thought known as epiphenomenalism, which argues that the mind ha s no causal effect at all, and is just the subjective experience of our brain at work. The most common view of mind and brain is school of thought known as prop erty dualism. In other words, the mind is changed in the physical structure of t he brain, and changes in the physical structure of the brain are made in the min d. The mind and brain can both be described as being based in the physical world , but explaining the mind, or mental illness, purely in physical terms, may not always be appropriate or usefull. Neurological diseases often have psychiatric manifestations, such as post-stroke depression, depression and dementia associated with Parkinson's disease, mood a nd cognitive dysfunctions in Alzheimer's disease and Huntington disease, to name a few. Hence, there is not always a sharp distinction between neurology and psy chiatry on a biological basis. The dominance of psychoanalytic theory in the fir st three quarters of the 20th century has since then been largely replaced by a focus on pharmacology. Despite the shift to a medical model, brain science has n ot advanced to the point where scientists or clinicians can point to readily dis cernible pathologic lesions or genetic abnormalities that in and of themselves s erve as reliable or predictive biomarkers of a given mental disorder. Cosmetic neurology The emerging field of cosmetic neurology highlights the potential of therapies t o improve such things as workplace efficacy, attention in school, and overall ha ppiness in personal lives.[4] However, this field has also given rise to questio ns about neuroethics and the psychopharmacology of lifestyle drugs. See also American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry List of neurologists

Neurohospitalist, a physician interested in inpatient neurological care References ^ Acgme.org ^ "Jean-Martin Charcot: The Father of Neurology". National Center for Biotec hnology Information. ^ Martin JBwow (May 2002). "The integration of neurology, psychiatry, and ne uroscience in the 21st century". The American Journal of Psychiatry 159 (5): 6957 04. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.159.5.695. PMID 11986119. ^ Hamilton, Roy. Looking at things in a different perspective created the id ea of ethics of neural enhancement using noninvasive brain stimulation. Neurolog y January 10, 2011 vol. 76 no. 2 187-193. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e318205d50d External links American Academy of Neurology American Neurological Association European Federation of Neurological Societies European Journal of Neurology National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Neurology, official journal of the AAN World Congress of Neurology United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties