Diagnostic testing is usually the first step in identifying neurological disorders. When conditions affecting the brain or spinal cord are suspected, one of two primary diagnostic tools may be recommended:

• Electroencephalogram, or EEG. This test is performed by attaching electrodes, most often to a patient’s scalp, to measure the electrical activity of the brain.
  
  
• Transcranial Doppler. This testing machine can measure the velocity of blood flow through the brain’s blood vessels.
  

A wide range of conditions can be accurately diagnosed, including:

• Behavioral/cognitive syndromes
  
  
• Headache disorders such as migraine, cluster headache and tension headache
  
  
• Seizure disorders
  
  
• Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
  
  
• Cerebrovascular disease, such as transient ischemic attack and stroke
  
  
• Sleep disorders
  
  
• Cerebral palsy
  
  
• Infections of the brain (encephalitis), brain meninges (meningitis) and spinal cord (myelitis)
  
  
• Infections of the peripheral nervous system
  
  
• Brain, spinal cord tumors and peripheral nerve tumors
  
  
• Movement disorders such as tics and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome
  
  
• Demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis, and of the peripheral nervous system, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and
  chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
  
  
• Disorders of peripheral nerves, muscle (myopathy) and neuromuscular junctions
  
  
  
• Traumatic injuries to the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves
  
  
• Altered mental status, encephalopathy, stupor and coma
  
  
• Speech and language disorders
  

Our diagnostic neurological services are available Monday through Friday for outpatients and hospitalized, acute patients.