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Neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery, psychosurgery, anesthesiology, neuropathology, neuroradiology, clinical neurophysiology and addiction medicine are medical specialties that specifically address the diseases of the nervous system.

These terms also refer to clinical disciplines involving diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.

Neurology works with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS ) and stroke, and their medical treatment.

Psychiatry focuses on affective, behavioral, cognitive, and perceptual disorders.

Anesthesiology focuses on perception of pain, and pharmacologic alteration of consciousness.

Neuropathology focuses upon the classification and underlying pathogenic mechanisms of central and peripheral nervous system and muscle diseases, with an emphasis on morphologic, microscopic, and chemically observable alterations.

Neurosurgery and psychosurgery work primarily with surgical treatment of diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The boundaries between these specialties have been blurring recently as they are all influenced by basic research in neuroscience.

Brain imaging also enables objective, biological insights into mental illness, which can lead to faster diagnosis, more accurate prognosis, and help assess patient progress over time.