neurologist

American  

[noo-rol-uh-jist, nyoo-] / nʊˈrɒl ə dʒɪst, nyʊ- /

noun

1. a physician specializing in neurology.

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Etymology

Origin of neurologist

First recorded in 1825–35; neurolog(y) + -ist

Explanation

A doctor who specializes in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves is a neurologist. A neurologist treats patients with epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and other disorders that involve the nervous system. You can think of a neurologist as a "brain doctor," although everything in your body that makes up your nervous system, from your brain to your nerves and ganglia, falls under their area of expertise. Neurologists are specially trained to diagnose and treat disorders ranging from concussion and migraines to stroke. The word neurologist comes from neurology and its Greek roots: neuro-, "nerves," and -logia, "study."

Example Sentences

Professor Yoshitaka Nagai, a neurologist and Chair of the Department of Neurology at Kindai University Faculty of Medicine in Osaka, focuses his research on neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

For neurologist Taka, not his real name, the delusions took an even more sinister turn.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

He explained that he was a neurologist at USC but loved to play guitar in his free time.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Dealing with the FDA is like “talking to a brick wall,” Harvard Medical School neurologist Jeremy Schmahmann told the Senate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

“As a neurologist, my focus is perception. I study how the brain processes information from our senses and how it relays that information back to the rest of the body.”

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass