Neurology is the study of disorders of the nervous system. A neurologist is a physician who diagnoses and treats nervous system disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nerves. This specialist deals with problems related to brain disease, disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves, and the blood vessels that provide circulation to these organs. A neurologist also treats specific diseases such as Bell’s palsy, cerebellar ataxia and meningitis.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are stroke, Guillain-Barré syndrome, brain tumor, migraine, meningitis, seizure, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, coma, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, cluster headache, ischemic stroke, encephalitis, encephalopathy, botulism, chorea, Lou Gehrig's disease, and ataxia.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Electroconvulsive therapy and Electroencephalogram (EEG).

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including CAT Scan of the Brain, CT Scan of the Brain, MRI Scan of the Brain, MRI Scan of the Spine, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Axial Tomography (CT or CAT Scan), Myelogram, Spinal Tap, Lumbar Puncture (LP), Electromyography (EMG), Myelography, Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan), Spinal Puncture, Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV), Electroencephalography, Cerebral Angiogram, Electronystagmography (ENG), Ocular Pressures, CSF Collection, and Myogram.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Alabama has 174 practicing neurologists. Broken out by city, neurology doctor density in Alabaster is 2, in Albertville is 1, in Andalusia is 1, in Anniston is 5, in Athens is 1, in Bessemer is 5, in Birmingham is 75, in Boaz is 1, in Citronelle is 1, in Clanton is 2, in Cullman is 4, in Daphne is 3, in Decatur is 3, in Dothan is 7, in Fairhope is 4, in Florence is 4, in Foley is 4, in Fort Payne is 2, in Fort Rucker is 1, in Gadsden is 9, in Gulf Shores is 1, in Guntersville is 1, in Homewood is 1, in Huntsville is 14, in Jacksonville is 1, in Jasper is 1, in Madison is 4, in Mobile is 26, in Montgomery is 11, in Northport is 2, in Opelika is 1, in Oxford is 3, in Ozark is 1, in Pell City is 3, in Piedmont is 1, in Prattville is 2, in Scottsboro is 1, in Selma is 1, in Sheffield is 1, in Sylacauga is 2, in Talladega is 2, in Tallassee is 1, in Thomasville is 1, in Troy is 1, in Tuscaloosa is 6, and in Wetumpka is 1.

Montgomery is the capital city of this southern state, though Birmingham is its largest city. Population in 2005 was 4,557,808. Alabama is the birthplace of historical figures Hank Aaron, Helen Keller, and George Washington Carver. Take an airboat tour on the Mobile river delta, see the Alabama Civil Rights museum in Mantua, or tour the Jazz Hall of Fame in Birmingham. Visit the Shakespeare Festival Theater Complex in Montgomery, or play a round of golf at one of Alabama’s many acclaimed courses. From the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the state’s north to the Gulf coast beaches in the south, Alabama’s scenery includes a varied and diverse landscape.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Alabama has a population of 4,557,808. Of this population, 1,074,627 are under the age of 18 and 600,258 are at or above the age of 65.