Neurology
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Neurology is the branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system and its disorders. Physicians specializing in the field of neurology are called neurologists. Surgical operations on the nervous system are performed by physicians with specialized training - neurosurgeons, and in some cases, interventional neuroradiologists.
Neurological disorders are disorders affecting the central nervous system (brain, brainstem and cerebellum), the peripheral nervous system (peripheral nerves - cranial nerves) included), or the autonomic nervous system (parts of which are located in both central and peripheral nervous system). Major conditions include:
- headache disorders such as migraine and tension headache (cluster headache)
- episodic conditions such as seizures and the epilepsies
- neurodegenerative disorders, the most common class being dementias, including Alzheimer's disease
- cerebrovascular disease, such as transient ischemic attacks, and strokes (ischemic or hemorrhagic)
- sleep disorders
- cerebral palsy
- bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections of the central nervous system (encephalitis), brain envelopes (meningitis) and peripheral nerves (neuritis), such as brain abscess, herpetic meningoencephalitis, aspergilloma, cerebral hydatic cyst, tetanus, botulism
- neoplasms - tumors of the brain and its envelopes (brain tumors), spinal cord tumors, tumors of the peripheral nerves (neuroma)
- movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, chorea, hemibalism
- demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis, and of the periferal nervous system, such as Guillan-Barré syndrome and chronic demyelinating polyradyculoneuropathy (CIDP)
- spinal cord disorders - tumors, infections, trauma, malformations (e.g. myelocelle, meningomyelocelle, tethered cord)
- disorders of peripheral nerves, muscle and neuromuscular junctions
- traumatic injuries to the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves
- stupor and coma have a variety of causes (metabolic disturbances, intoxications, mechanical causes - any condition leading to a significant increase in intracranial pressure)
Neurologists are responsible for diagnosing and treating all of the above conditions, except for surgical interventions, which fall into the responsability of neurosurgeons, and in some cases interventional neuroradiologists. In some countries, additional legal responsibilities of a neurologist include making a finding of brain death when it is suspected that a patient is deceased, and filing the necessary paperwork for issuance of a death certificate.
Although many mental illnesses are believed to be neurological disorders affecting the central nervous system, traditionally they are being classified separately, since there is no definitive proof for their possible biological origins. However, there are strong indications that neuro-chemical mechanisms play an important role in the development of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Hence, there is no sharp distinction between neurology and psychiatry - this distinction has mainly practical reasons and strong historical roots.
External links
- American Academy of Neurology (http://www.aan.com)
- brainblog (http://www.neuropsychological.blogspot.com/): news about our knowledge of the brain and behavior.
- Journal Watch Neurology (http://neurology.jwatch.org/): collection of the most important neurology studies for practicing clinicians, summarized and with commentary.
See also
| Health science - Medicine |
| Anesthesiology - Dermatology - Emergency Medicine - General practice - Intensive care medicine - Internal medicine - Neurology - Obstetrics & Gynecology - Pediatrics - Podiatry - Public Health & Occupational Medicine - Psychiatry - Radiology - Surgery |
| Branches of Internal medicine |
| Cardiology - Endocrinology - Gastroenterology - Hematology - Infectious diseases - Nephrology - Oncology - Pulmonology - Rheumatology |
| Branches of Surgery |
| General surgery - Cardiothoracic surgery - Neurosurgery - Ophthalmology - Orthopedic surgery - Otolaryngology (ENT) - Pediatric surgery - Plastic surgery - Podiatric surgery - Urology - Vascular surgery |
de:Neurologie es:Neurología fr:Neurologie ga:Néareolaíocht ja:神経学 nl:Neurologie pl:Neurologia pt:Neurologia ro:Neurologie sv:Neurologi zh:神經學