Neurosurgery is surgery of the nervous system. A neurological surgeon, or neurosurgeon, is a specialist who is trained in surgery of the nervous system, and can perform surgery on the brain, spinal cord, or other parts of the nervous system. This specialist is sometimes called a brain surgeon. The neurosurgeon also works with patients to diagnose, evaluate, and treat diseases or disorders of the nervous system, and aids in critical care of patients before, during and after surgery.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Spondylolisthesis, Spinal Stenosis, Spinal Injury, Herniated Disc, brain tumors, stroke, Spinal Cord Tumors, Scoliosis, epilepsy, Spinal Infection, Spinal Discectomy, Spinal Deformity, brain tumor, coma, seizure, Alzheimer's disease, cerebral palsy, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Disc Disease / Surgery, Back / Spine Surgery , Invasive Disc Surgery, Kyphosis Surgery, Laminectomy, Deep Brain Stimulation, endoscopic surgery, craniotomy, stereotactic radiosurgery, microsurgery, Endoscopic management, Cordotomy, transphenoidal surgery, and radiation implants.

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

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Massachusetts has 255 practicing neurosurgeons. Broken out by city, neurosurgery doctor density in Amesbury is 2, in Attleboro is 2, in Ayer is 1, in Beverly is 4, in Boston is 145, in Brewster is 1, in Brighton is 10, in Brockton is 1, in Brookline is 7, in Burlington is 15, in Cambridge is 5, in Chelmsford is 1, in Chestnut Hill is 3, in Concord is 5, in Danvers is 2, in Dedham is 1, in Dorchester is 1, in Duxbury is 2, in Fall River is 2, in Falmouth is 2, in Framingham is 2, in Hingham is 1, in Holyoke is 2, in Hopedale is 1, in Hyannis is 4, in Lawrence is 5, in Leominster is 1, in Lexington is 2, in Lowell is 4, in Lynn is 1, in Lynnfield is 1, in Manchester is 1, in Mashpee is 1, in Milton is 2, in Natick is 1, in Needham is 3, in New Bedford is 4, in Newton is 6, in Newton Centre is 2, in Newton Lower Falls is 4, in Newtonville is 1, in North Adams is 1, in North Andover is 7, in North Chelmsford is 1, in North Dartmouth is 3, in Norwell is 1, in Norwood is 3, in Peabody is 7, in Pittsfield is 5, in Quincy is 3, in Roxbury is 2, in Roxbury Crossing is 10, in Salem is 2, in Somerville is 1, in South Easton is 2, in South Weymouth is 7, in Southbridge is 1, in Springfield is 11, in Stoneham is 2, in Swampscott is 3, in Taunton is 1, in Waltham is 2, in West Roxbury is 1, in Westford is 1, in Weymouth is 3, in Worcester is 14, and in Yarmouth Port is 1.

Massachusetts became the sixth state in the union in 1788, and is steeped in history. Boston, the capital city, is home to Harvard University, the John F. Kennedy Museum and Library, the Paul Revere House, and many other historical sites. Massachusetts is home to the New England Pirate Museum in Salem, the Minute Man National Historical Park, and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, both in Concord. Four past presidents were born in Massachusetts; John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy and George H. W. Bush. Other famous Massachusetts people include actors Leonard Nimoy and Bette Davis, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, and historical figures Susan B. Anthony, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul Revere, and Benjamin Franklin.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Massachusetts has a population of 6,398,743. Of this population, 1,419,389 are under the age of 18 and 848,924 are at or above the age of 65.