Principles and Practice of Restorative Neurology

Book excerpt: Principles and Practice of Restorative Neurology is a collection of topics in clinical neurology where progress through research has brought concepts of patient management. The collection emphasizes research done clinically and in experimental laboratories and attempts to discuss restorative neurology in the larger context, encompassing biology, neurobiology, and rehabilitative engineering. The book discusses the concept that neurology should be more therapeutic instead of being just diagnostic because of advances in techniques and drugs. An epidemiology of disability and the evaluation of restorative neurology are explained. The text also presents the developments in the pharmacotherapy of major neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, dementia, and stroke. The use of biomechanical or rehabilitation engineering to treat impaired or lost functions in a patient is compared; the feedback mechanisms and the kinds of treatment including microsurgery, nuerostimulation methods, surgery, and molecular genetics that are applied to specific disorders are discussed extensively. The book also reviews the approaches of gene correction for disorders in the central nervous system. Finally, the future needs of neurology in terms of diagnosis and treatments are dealt with as more research, techniques, and drugs are being discovered and proved useful. The collection is intended for neurologists, neurologists in training, and other physicians whose work lies with neurological disorders. The book can also prove useful for practitioners and academicians in the fields of neurosurgery, internal medicine, psychiatry, and rehabilitation medicine.