Neurology specialists and further information

Which neurological diseases do neurology specialists treat?

Neurologists primarily treat diseases and disorders in the area of nerves and muscle activity. Of particular interest are nerve diseases that are caused by degenerative processes or direct damage to the brain. The most common diseases treated in neurology include

• Stroke,
• epilepsy,
• multiple sclerosis (MS),
• various movement disorders,
• Parkinson's disease ("shaking palsy") and
• increasingly dementia due to our increasing age.

Typical symptoms of Parkinson's disease are trembling (tremor) @ Pixel-Shot /AdobeStock

What diagnostic procedures do neurologists use?

As with all medical diagnostic procedures, the neurological examination begins with a medical history. In a discussion with the patient, the neurologist clarifies, for example, how long the symptoms have existed and where exactly they are localized. These statements provide the neurologist with the first clues to help them identify the neurological disease.

The neurologist will then carry out some simple tests, such as motor function, cranial nerves, reflexes and coordination.

Only after a suspected diagnosis has been made will the neurologist use further instrumental examination procedures to clarify the situation. Such examinations are usually carried out in specialized neurology clinics. There, in particular

• Blood tests,
• cerebrospinal fluid diagnostics,
• electroencephalogram (EEG) or even
• ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

are carried out.

First and foremost, the neurologist is able to determine how advanced the nerve damage is or to what extent blood vessel disorders are responsible for the deficits and symptoms, e.g. after a stroke.

However, it is important to note that even in the age of modern medical equipment, the physical examination and diagnosis still come first. Instrumental procedures are only used to confirm findings or to verify clinical hypotheses.

What does the range of services offered by neurology specialists look like?

Depending on the type of illness, neurology specialists have a wide range of procedures and methods at their disposal to alleviate the symptoms.

Among other things, neurologists use deep brain stimulation to bring the nervous system back into the right rhythm and to a largely symptom-free functioning.

In addition, new fields of work have been added in the last decade that have already made great progress in the treatment of neurological disorders, such as neuroimmunology, neurotraumatology and neurooncology.

However, such tasks are almost exclusively carried out by neurology specialists in the numerous specialized neurology clinics throughout Germany.

In deep brain stimulation (DBS), electrical impulses are sent to the nerve cells @ Teeradej /AdobeStock

What qualifications do neurology specialists have?

In Germany, neurologists receive specialist training in internal medicine with a specialization in neurology.