Neurologic Diagnosis

Neurologic diagnosis is made with greater certainty, facilitated by continually evolving neurodiagnostic tests, especially in imaging, but also in immunology, neurophysiology, and molecular genetics. Learning from diverse medical mentors, including allied health practitioners and nurses, is integral to a neurologic education, particularly as physicians and neurologists are now often members of multidisciplinary care teams. Internet teaching sites, especially on YouTube, demonstrate examination techniques and show examples of neurologic conditions when “once seen, are easier to recognize a second time around”. In the situation of an evolving organic neurologic disorder, the history, repeated examinations, and changing signs lead to an anatomical localization and a differential diagnosis of pathologies and causes, which may then need new targeted investigations to clarify the diagnosis. Patients are more informed and demanding, armed with ideas from family, friends, alternative health practitioners, and the Internet.