Neurology

Neurology is the medical specialty devoted to diagnosing and treating disorders of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles. It includes clinical examination, testing, and long-term care of neurological conditions.

Central nervous system: The brain and spinal cord, which process information and coordinate the body. Neurology examines disorders arising in the nervous system’s central structures.
Stroke: A sudden neurological injury caused by interrupted blood flow or bleeding in the brain. Rapid recognition and treatment can limit permanent brain injury.
Neurosurgery: The surgical specialty that treats disorders of the brain, spine, and peripheral nerves. Neurologists primarily diagnose and treat without operating on nervous-system structures.
Jean-Martin Charcot: A French neurologist who established influential clinical and pathological studies of nervous-system disorders. His work helped define neurology as a distinct medical specialty.
Neuroregeneration: The growth or repair of neurons and neural connections after development or injury. Limited repair in the adult nervous system constrains recovery after many injuries.
Peripheral nervous system: The nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord that connect them to the rest of the body. Many neurological disorders affect nerves beyond the brain and spinal cord.
Epilepsy: A neurological disorder characterized by an enduring tendency to experience unprovoked seizures. Neurologists classify seizures and select treatments to prevent recurrence.
Psychiatry: The medical specialty focused on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. The specialties overlap in brain-based symptoms but emphasize different clinical questions and treatments.
William Gowers: A British neurologist known for systematic clinical descriptions of neurological disease. His clinical teaching and reference works helped standardize neurological examination.
Neuroplasticity: The nervous system’s capacity to change its structure or function with experience, learning, or injury. Plasticity can support recovery, but its limits vary across conditions and patients.

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