Neurology, << nu ROL uh jee, >> is the field of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system and muscles. The nervous system consists of the brain , spinal cord, and nerves (see Nervous system ). Neurologists are physicians who receive special training in neurology after completing medical school. Neurologists evaluate and treat patients who have experienced such symptoms as headaches, seizures, or paralysis, or who have such disorders as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson disease.
A neurologist begins an examination by asking the patient to fully describe the problem. The neurologist then evaluates the patient’s mental functioning, emotional state, vision, hearing, speech, strength and reflexes, coordination, and perception of touch, pain, and temperature. Specialized imaging techniques may be used to view affected tissues and organs. These techniques include angiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). See Angiography ; Magnetic resonance imaging. The neurologist interprets all this information to make a diagnosis and to determine treatment, which may include medications, physical therapy, or surgery.
