For generations of physicians, the brain has long been considered the ‘‘black box’’ of
the human body. Physicians’ inability to understand the inner workings of the brain has
limited our ability to treat many common neurologic conditions. As a result, for many
years there were significant portions of neurology that were simply focused on
supportive therapy and rehabilitation: in essence, ‘‘damage control.’’ However, recent
advances in neuroimaging, increased understanding of neuropathology, and advances
in neuropharmacology have dramatically changed the field of neurology from one in
which a diagnosis was used to determine the type of supportive therapy, to one in
which the diagnosis is used to determine immediate life- or limb-saving therapy.