Neurologists specialize in the diagnosis and management of disorders affecting the nervous system (ie. the brain, spinal cord and nerves).  Disorders in the nervous system can cause symptoms such as muscle weakness, paralysis, numbness, poor coordination, seizures (fits), confusion and altered levels of consciousness.

Find a Neurologist

Classification of Neurological Disorders Managed by Neurologists

• Damage to the Brain

Various parts of the brain may be damaged by disease or trauma, and symptoms produced are usually related to the site of damage.  Parts of the brain which may be damaged include the cerebral cortex (frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe), basal ganglia, cerebellum and brainstem.

Damage may be the result of vascular event (a haemorrhagic or thromboembolic stroke), trauma, tumour (treated by neurosurgeons) etc.

Damage to the brain may lead to Aphasia (language dysfunction), Dysarthria (speech dysfunction), Agnosia (inability to identify things/people), Apraxia (dysfunction in processing/recognizing patterns or sequence of movements) and Amnesia (memory loss).  There may be also weakness or paralysis, or sensory dysfunction.

• Cranial Nerve Disorders

• Spinal Cord Disorders

• Peripheral Nervous System Disorders

eg. Guillain-Barré Syndrome

• Autonomic Nervous System Disorders

• Movement Disorders

eg. Parkinson's disease

• Seizure Disorders

eg. Epilepsy

• Headaches

eg. Cluster headaches, Migraine, Tension headaches

• Neuropathic Pain

• Infections of the Brain and Spinal Cord

eg. Meningitis

• Multiple Sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases