What does a neurologist do?

Neurologists study and treat neurological conditions and all problems of the nervous system. The symptoms most commonly used by a neurologist include:

• coordination problems
• muscle weakness
• a change of feeling
• confusion
• dizziness
• Patients who have problems with the five senses, such as touch, vision or smell, may also need to see a neurologist. The problems with the five senses are often caused by disorders of the nervous system.

Neurologists also intervene on patients with:

• convulsive disorders, such as epilepsy
• stroke
• multiple sclerosis
• neuromuscular disorders, such as myasthenia gravis
• infections of the nervous system, including encephalitis, meningitis or brain abscesses neurodegenerative disorders, such as Lou Gehrig’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease
• spinal cord disorders, including inflammatory and autoimmune disorders
  headaches, such as cluster headaches and migraines

Sub-specializations of neurology

Since the nervous system is very complex and encompasses more fields of medicine, a neurologist can specialize in a specific area. They will do a subspecialization in that area after residency training. The subspecialties have evolved to narrow the field of action of the doctor making him highly specialized in a given sector.

Typical neurological procedures

During your first appointment with a neurologist, you will probably perform a physical exam and a neurological exam. A neurological examination will test muscle strength, reflexes and coordination. Because different disorders may have similar symptoms, your neurologist may need to run extensive tests to make a diagnosis.

Neurologists can recommend a variety of procedures to help diagnose or treat a condition. These procedures may include:

Lumbar puncture

Your neurologist can use a lumbar puncture to test your spinal fluid. They could recommend the procedure if they think the symptoms are caused by a problem in the nervous system that can be detected in the spinal fluid. The procedure involves inserting a needle into the spine after numbing and taking a spinal fluid sample.

Tensilon test

This procedure can help your neurologist diagnose myasthenia gravis. In this test, your doctor injects you with a medicine called Tensilon. Then observe how it affects your muscle movements.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

With electrodes applied to the scalp, an EEG measures electrical activity in the brain.

Neurologists can also use other types of tests ..

To make a diagnosis, a neurologist can use diagnostic imaging tests such as:

• computed tomography or CT scan
• MRI scan
• positron emission tomography or PET scan

Other diagnostic procedures include sleep studies and angiography. Angiography determines blockages in the blood vessels directed to the brain.

The neurologist can help patients in symptom management and neurological disorder alone, or in collaboration with their primary care physician and other specialists.