The past few years have been extremely exciting for both neuroscientists and clinicians. We are unlocking the mysteries of the human mind and applying these discoveries to create better treatment for those affected with neurological disorders, leading to more effective therapies. A new patient-centered medicine approach will hopefully lead to fewer side effects and increased efficacy.

This edition of Essential Neuropharmacology focuses on pharmacological treatment; however, substantial improvements in surgical and medical device treatments for neurological disorders have occurred. These include surgical treatments for epilepsy, deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagal nerve stimulation, and occipital and other nerve stimulators for pain. Due to improvements in safety and proven efficacy, some of these procedures may now be considered earlier, rather than as a last resort.

Given the expanding role of neurologists, we also decided to widen the focus of the textbook to include areas such as sleep and neuro-oncology. The practice of sleep medicine has expanded and chemotherapy has been established as effective when combined with other treatments for the treatment of some brain cancers, such as glioblastoma and CNS lymphoma, and neurologists increasingly are working with neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists to manage these challenging disorders.

Like most neurologists, we became interested in neurology due to our fascination with the nervous system and by the fact that there is so much more to learn. The scope of neurological practice continues to expand, with increasing degrees of specialization. Although we practice based on available evidence, often we must revert to trial and error for our difficult cases. Keeping track of the newest medications and developments in our expanding field is a challenge. We have all had the experience of running into a complicated patient, and we know how important it is to discuss the case with an expert. We hope that this text will help those who don't have immediate access to such expertise and will lead to better care for patients with neurological disorders.