Who's who in neurology

The word neuro means nerve and nervous system.

The nervous system is made up of the brain, spine and nerves. It is the most complex system in the body and controls everything we do, from our behaviour to all our bodily functions like breathing and movement.

The people who specialise in this section of medicine prefix there speciality with ‘neuro’, for example neurosurgeon, neuropsychologist.

Here is a list of people who specialise in neurology and a definition of what they do:

Neurologist

A medical doctor who does not perform operations but specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of people with neurological disorders such as, multiple sclerosis, dystonia and headache.

Neuro-opthalmologist

A medical doctor who specialises in the treatment and diagnosis of eye problems connected to a neurological condition.

Neurophysiologist

A medical doctor whose area of medicine is concerned with testing the electrical functions of the brain, spinal cord and the nerves in the limbs and muscles.

Neurophysiotherapist

A chartered physiotherapist who specialises in treating people with neurological conditions. A neurophysiotherapist will assess, plan and treat people post injury.<

Neuropsychiatrist

A medical doctor who has trained in the field of psychiatry and has a special interest in the behaviour and psychological effects of neurological diseases or injury to the brain, such as head injury, dementia, epilepsy.

Neuropsychologist

A psychologist specialises in the functions of the brain, particularly memory, concentration and problem solving. Their work involves testing and assessing the problems people may experience following an injury or neurological disorder, and helping them in their rehabilitation.

Neuroradiographer

Neuroradiographers are trained professionals who perform the x-rays and scans requested by the neuro specialists.

Neuroradiologist

A medical doctor who has specialised in performing, reporting and reading scans such as angiogram, myleograms, CAT Scan, MRI scan, PET scan and X-rays.

Neurosurgeon

A medical doctor who has further training specifically in the area of the brain and spine and performs operations. Some have furthered their interests in specific areas or conditions of the nervous system, such as epilepsy surgery, vascular surgery and neck surgery.

Specialist Nurses

A nurse who specialises in a particular neurological condition such as brain tumours, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Speech and language therapist 

Speech and language therapists assess, plan and treat people with communication and swallowing problems.