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Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders and diseases of the nervous system. In the past the term has been used more generally for the study of the nervous system; the term itself comes from the Greek νεῦρον, neuron, for "nerve cell" and the suffix -λογία for "study of." However, today the term neuroscience is employed for the larger field that encompasses the scientific study of the nervous system, while neurology is the branch related to medicine. Both neurology and neuroscience are interdisciplinary fields.

Neurology deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease and disorders involving the central and peripheral nervous system, including such neurological conditions as Alzheimer's disease, seizures, stroke, paralysis, coma, epilepsy, meningitis, encephalitis, multiple sclerosis, herpes simplex virus 2, amnesia, Parkinson's disease, paraplegia, hearing loss, and various infections and tumors of the nervous system.

A neurologist is a physician specializing in neurology and trained to investigate, diagnose, and treat neurological disorders. Neurologists also may be involved in clinical research, and clinical trials, as well as basic research and translational research (making findings from basic science useful for practical applications that enhance human health and well-being). Some neurologists specialize in certain parts of the nervous system or in specific procedures. For example, clinical neurophysiologists specialize in the use of electrodiagnostic techniques (EEG and EMG) in order to diagnose certain neurological disorders. Neurosurgery is a specialty distinct from neurology and involves a different training path; neurosurgery emphasizes the surgical treatment of neurological disorders.

More than 1000 disorders and diseases of the human nervous system have been delineated, affecting up to one billion people worldwide and trillions of dollars in cost. Although the human brain is the most complex living structure known, neurologists have been making great strides in tackling those conditions that fall within their purview.




The nervous system is the network of specialized cells, tissues, and organs in a multicellular animal that coordinates the body's interaction with the environment, including sensing internal and external stimuli, monitoring the organs, coordinating the activity of muscles, initiating actions, and regulating behavior. The vertebrate nervous system is divided into the central nervous system (CNS), comprising the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), consisting of all the nerves and neurons that reside or extend outside the central nervous system, such as to serve the limbs and organs. The peripheral nervous system, in turn, is commonly divided into two subsystems, the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

The interdisciplinary field in science that is organized around the study of the nervous system is termed neuroscience. This field encompasses the scientific study of the structure, function, and development of nervous systems, normal and abnormal variants, ranging from the simple systems of such invertebrates as platyhelminthes and nematodes to the complex systems of vertebrates like human beings. Among the components that are studied are the brain, dorsal and ventral nerve cords, spinal cord, nerves, muscles, neurons (nerve cells), central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, neurotransmitters, sense organs and senses (such as taste and touch), and so forth.

Diagram showing the major divisions of the vertebrate nervous system.

Neurology is the medical discipline dealing with neurological disorders (disorders of the nervous system). To be specific, neurology deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease and disorders involving the central and peripheral nervous system, as well as related symptoms (e.g., back pain), signs (e.g., aphasia), and syndromes (e.g., Aicardi syndrome). The term neurology was once used in a synonymous way with the current definition of neuroscience. For example, MaGill's Medical Guide (2008) defines neurology as "the study of the nervous system" and "the study of the structure and function of the nervous system" (Hollar 2008). However, today neurology is limited to the medical specialty dealing with disorders and diseases of the nervous system. As such, it can be seen as a branch of neuroscience. It also can be seen as part of clinical neuroscience, along with psychiatry and many allied health professions such as speech-language pathology. Psychiatry is the medical specialty that works with the disorders of the mind—which include various affective, behavioral, cognitive, and perceptual disorders.


There are numerous human diseases and disorders within the orbit of neurology. More than 1,000 disorders of the brain and nervous system have been identified and these result in more hospitalizations and lost productivity than heart disease, cancer, or any other disease group (SFN 2013). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated in 2007 that neurological disorders impact up to one billion people worldwide, and neurological diseases make up 11 percent of the world’s disease burden if one does not include mental health and addiction disorders (SFN 2013). The European Brain Council estimated that in 2010 neurological diseases in Europe alone cost 798 billion euros (more than one trillion dollars) a year (EBC 2011).

Among conditions treated under neurology are Alzheimer's disease, seizures, paralysis, coma, Parkinson's disease, hearing loss, meningitis, encephalitis, dementia, migraine,headaches, sleep disorders, stroke, Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, brain tumor, brain injury, cerebral palsy, Lou Gehrig's disease, spina bifida, whiplash, and the nature of pain. In some countries, additional legal responsibilities of a neurologist may include examining unresponsive patients on life support in order to ascertain whether there is brain death when it is suspected that a patient is deceased. Neurologists frequently care for people with hereditary (genetic) diseases when the major manifestations are neurological, as is frequently the case.


Jean-Martin Charcot is considered one of the fathers of neurology.[1]

A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurological disorders and related conditions. The American Board of Medical Specialties defines the term as follows (ABMS 2013):


Neurosurgery is a distinct specialty that involves a different training path and emphasizes the treatment and correction of neurological disorders through surgery. Neurosurgeons may need to perform surgical procedures on such parts as the brain and spine, as well as individual nerves, treating such conditions as tumors, head trauma, spinal disc herniation, carpal tunnel syndrome, and cerebral hemorrhages.


Often 12 or more years of study and clinical training from college on is required for someone being established as a neurologist.

In the United States and Canada, neurologists are physicians who have completed postgraduate training in neurology after graduation from medical school. Neurologists complete, on average, at least 10–13 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. Some neurologists complete a one or two-year fellowship after completing a neurology residency. Sub-specialties include: brain injury medicine, clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy, hospice and palliative medicine, neurodevelopmental disabilities, neuromuscular medicine, pain medicine and sleep medicine, and vascular medicine (ABMS 2013).

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, neurosonology, epilepsy, neuromuscular, neurorehabilitation, neurodevelopment disabilities, behavioral neurology, sleep medicine, pain management, neuro immunology, clinical neurophysiology, or movement disorders.

The American Board of Medical Specialties notes that "to become certified in a particular subspecialty, a physician must be Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and complete additional training as specified by the Member Board" (ABMS 2013).









Overlap with other specialties



Overlap with psychiatry

Although mental illnesses are believed by some to be neurological disorders affecting the central nervous system, traditionally they are classified separately, and treated by psychiatrists. In a 2002 review article in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Professor Joseph B. Martin, Dean of Harvard Faculty of Medicine and a neurobiologist by training, wrote that "the separation of the two categories is arbitrary, often influenced by beliefs rather than proven scientific observations. And the fact that the brain and mind are one makes the separation artificial anyway" (Martin 2002). (Not all would agree with Martin's assessment that "the brain and mind are one." See the New World Encyclopedia article on mind and in particular the section on the mind-brain problem titled The Brain and the Mind.)



  1. D. R. Kumar, F. Aslinia, S. H. Yale, an J. J. Mazza, "Jean-Martin Charcot: The Father of Neurology," Clin Med Res. 9, iss. 1(2011): 46–49. Retrieved October 6, 2013.


  • Martin, J. B. 2002. The integration of neurology, psychiatry, and neuroscience in the 21st century. The American Journal of Psychiatry 159(5): 695–704. PMID 11986119.
  • Society for Neuroscience (2013). About neuroscience. Society for Neuroscience. Retrieved October 4, 2013.



