American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology 2150 E. Lake Cook Road, Suite 900 Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 Tel: (847) 229-6500 www.abpn.com

A Neurologist specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of disease or impaired function of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, muscles and autonomic nervous system, as well as the blood vessels that relate to these structures.

Training Required: Four years

A Child Neurologist has additional skills in the diagnosis and management of neurologic disorders of the neonatal period, infancy, early childhood and adolescence.

Training Required: Five years

Subspecialties for Neurology and Child Neurology

Certification in one of the following subspecialties requires additional training and examination.

• Clinical Neurophysiology
  A Neurologist or Child Neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis and management of central, peripheral and autonomic nervous system disorders using a combination of clinical evaluation and electrophysiologic testing such as electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS), among others.
  
  
• Hospice and Palliative Medicine
  A Neurologist or Child Neurologist with special knowledge and skills to prevent and relieve the suffering experienced by patients with life-limiting illnesses. This specialist works with an interdisciplinary hospice or palliative care team to maximize quality of life while addressing the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of both patient and family throughout the course of the disease, including through the dying process and subsequent family grieving. This care can occur within or outside of a formal hospice or palliative care team. This specialist has expertise in the assessment of patients with advanced disease and catastrophic injury; the relief of distressing symptoms; the coordination of interdisciplinary patient and family-centered care in diverse settings; the use of specialized care systems including hospice; the management of the imminently dying patient; and legal and ethical decision making in end-of-life care.
  
  
• Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
  A Neurologist or Child Neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis and management of chronic conditions that affect the developing and mature nervous system such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation and chronic behavioral syndromes or neurologic conditions.
  
  
• Neuromuscular Medicine
  A Neurologist or Child Neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis and management of disorders of nerve, muscle or neuromuscular junction, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, peripheral neuropathies (e.g. diabetic and immune mediated neuropathies), various muscular dystrophies, congenital and acquired myopathies, inflammatory myopathies (e.g. polymyositis, inclusion body myositis) and neuromuscular transmission disorders (e.g. myasthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome).
  
  
• Pain Medicine
  Pain Medicine is the medical discipline concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of the entire range of painful disorders. A Neurologist or Child Neurologist who specializes in Pain Medicine provides a high level of care, either as a primary physician or consultant, for patients experiencing problems with acute, chronic and/or cancer pain in both hospital and ambulatory settings. Patient care needs are also coordinated with other specialists. Due to the vast scope of the field, Pain Medicine is a multidisciplinary subspecialty and patient care needs may be coordinated with other specialists.
  
  
• Sleep Medicine
  A Neurologist or Child Neurologist with demonstrated expertise in the diagnosis and management of clinical conditions that occur during sleep, that disturb sleep or that are affected by disturbances in the wake-sleep cycle. The physician will be skilled in the analysis and interpretation of comprehensive polysomnography and well-versed in emerging research and management of a sleep laboratory.
  
  
• Vascular Neurology
  A Neurologist or Child Neurologist who specializes in the evaluation, prevention, treatment and recovery from vascular diseases of the nervous system. This subspecialty includes the diagnosis and treatment of vascular events of arterial or venous origin from a large number of causes that affect the brain or spinal cord such as ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, spinal cord ischemia and spinal cord hemorrhage.

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