The OHSU Department of Neurology is one of the nation’s leading neurologic research and training programs and provides the most comprehensive care of neurologic illnesses in the Pacific Northwest.

Our divisions and sections offer specialized care for patients with a range of neurologic diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy and brain tumors. These centers provide expert care, conduct research, and hold educational programs for patients and physicians throughout the region. Visit the OHSU Brain Institute to learn more about our specialized care. 

Our department has a robust laboratory research program aimed at understanding the cause and cure of a variety of neurologic diseases. Finally, we have a highly regarded neurology residency program and offer post-doctoral training in multiple subspecialty areas. 

Division of Aging, Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders

The Division of Aging, Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders provides diagnosis and therapies for people with concerns about their brain function as they age. Patients across the spectrum of cognitive change, from mild cognitive impairment to late-stage dementia are evaluated and managed by an interdisciplinary team, internationally recognized in geriatric neurology, psychiatry, nursing, neuropsychology, and family support. The team endows the center with state-of-the-art expertise in treatment and management of the disorders associated with dementia. The Division integrates the National Institute on Aging Oregon Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center into its operation, affording participation and access to leading-edge research diagnostics and treatments. 

Division of Comprehensive Neurology 

The Division of Comprehensive Neurology includes the general neurology clinics and neurohospitalist services. We provide care for a broad range of neurologic conditions, and our providers come from a variety of sub-specialty fellowship training programs. Our neurohospitalists see patients on the resident teaching service at OHSU and provide specialty care to hospitals that do not have access to neurologists using telemedicine.

Division of Epilepsy 

The Division of Epilepsy provides Oregon’s most advanced services for diagnosing and treating seizures and epilepsy. We are designated a Level 4 Epilepsy Center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers, reflecting the highest level of expertise in managing complex epilepsy, including medication management, advanced diagnostic testing, and surgical and device therapy. We take a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of epilepsy, and colleagues in neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neuropsychology, and other disciplines are key contributors to the overall program.  

Division of Movement Disorders 

The Division of Movement Disorders provides evaluation and ongoing care for individuals with neurologic disorders of movement, including Parkinson’s disease, “Parkinson’s-plus” syndromes (e.g., progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, Lewy body dementia), essential tremor, dystonia, Huntington’s disease, tic disorders, ataxias, and other disorders. We are recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Parkinson’s Foundation, the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, CurePSP, and the Lewy Body Dementia Association, providing specialized care for each of these disorders. Our clinicians have expertise in managing medications for Movement disorders and offer therapeutic botulinum toxin injections for dystonia and other conditions. We work closely with the Department of Neurosurgery to offer deep brain stimulation (DBS) and focused ultrasound (FUS) treatment for Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor. 

Division of Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology

The Division of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) & Neuroimmunology doctors and researchers (or scientists) provide clinical care and offer research opportunities for people with MS and non-MS central nervous system inflammatory (or immune) disorders. These disease states are typically life-long, complex and require multidisciplinary care. Our division team includes doctors, pharmacists, nurses and medical assistants who work with specialists at OHSU and throughout the state to provide the best available care, including diagnosis and management of M.S. and these related disorders.

We understand the uniqueness of each individual with these disorders and tailor care to the individual’s specific needs. We believe in the philosophy of living the best life possible despite these illnesses and have world-class expertise in conventional and complementary approaches to managing these diseases.

The division is a nationally recognized center for training future M.S. and Neuroimmunology experts. Our researchers strive to find answers to difficult questions that have not been answered before and novel ways to improve M.S. and neuroimmunological diseases.  

Division of Stroke and Vascular Neurology

As the first certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in the Northwest, the Division of Stroke and Vascular Neurology (Oregon Stroke Center) has offered acute stroke treatment and prevention for 35 years. In close collaboration with interventional radiology and neurosurgery, we offer 24/7/365 ischemic stroke thrombectomy along with cerebral hemorrhage and SAH treatments. We have a dedicated inpatient stroke service with more than 600 cerebrovascular cases per year. We also offer in-person and telemedicine clinics, seeing more than 500 patients yearly.

We were at the forefront of developing telestroke video emergency room acute stroke care, and we currently cover 15 hospitals throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Finally, we have been a national leader in new translational stroke clinical trials since 1979. In 2023, over 200 patients were enrolled in our ongoing treatment or prevention stroke trials by our six vascular neurologists, five neuro-interventionalists and five clinical coordinators.

Section of Headache Medicine

The Section of Headache Medicine OHSU Headache Center provides: 

• A team of providers led by Dr. Juliette Preston, a neurologist with advanced training in headaches and pain. 
• Experienced providers who treat nearly 1,000 patients a year. 
• One of the nation’s few dental-headache specialty clinics, where specialists work together to find the exact cause of your pain. 
• Close cooperation with facial pain specialists. 
• Safe treatments for moms-to-be who have migraines. 
• The latest medications and pain-management therapies. 
• Quick access to outpatient IV therapy for certain migraine patients. 

Section of Integrative Neurology and Intraoperative Neuromonitoring 

The Section of Integrative Neurology and Intraoperative Neuromonitoring consists of two areas. Integrative Neurology includes a Neurology Wellness Clinic that combines traditional Chinese medicine with the latest scientific techniques to treat chronic pain from nerve, headache and musculoskeletal conditions. Integrative neurology research investigates conditions such as pain and stress-related health conditions using mind-body approaches (e.g., acupuncture, meditation and yoga) to improve health or to understand their mechanisms of action.

Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) provides real-time feedback to the surgeons on the state of neural function during surgical cases to minimize the risk of injury, primarily neurosurgical and orthopedic, where the nervous system, motor and sensory systems may be at risk of surgical injury. IONM provides 24/7 service in over 1000 surgical cases per year. The team includes neurologists/clinical neurophysiologists and Hospital-based IONM technologists for all cases. For complex awake craniotomies, a dedicated cognitive assessment team collaborates closely with surgeons and anesthesiologists, helping preserve critical brain function during delicate cortical resections.

Section of Neurocritical Care 

Our 17-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit cares for patients with critical care neurological conditions that include hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes, cerebral aneurysms and vascular malformations, brain tumors, status epilepticus, autoimmune and infectious neurological diseases, and spinal cord disorders. Advanced monitoring and neuroimaging options allow us to fulfill our deep commitment to research and clinical trials, from comprehensive stroke care to managing the most delicate neurovascular surgeries. As neurointensivists, we work closely with our neurosurgical colleagues and interventional neuroradiologists to provide leading-edge technology for optimal patient care.

Our Neuroscience ICU is the first in Oregon to provide around-the-clock care with in-house neurocritical care doctors and advanced practice providers. We provide continuous monitoring for conditions such as hydrocephalus and elevated intracranial pressure, as well as long-term video EEG monitoring to detect subclinical seizures. An on-site mobile C.T. scanner permits neuroimaging in patients who are unsafe to move.

Section of Neuromuscular Medicine

 The Section of Neuromuscular Medicine provides expert diagnosis and treatment of disorders that affect muscles and nerves. We provide: 

• Neurologic care that is ranked among the best in the nation. 
• Highly trained specialists with deep expertise in neuromuscular conditions. 
• One of only five Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association Centers of Excellence in the Western United States. 
• A team of doctors, nurses and therapists who work together to ease your symptoms and improve your quality of life. 
• Providers who also pursue research to improve patient care. 
• Access to clinical trials to test promising novel approaches. 

Section of Sleep Medicine

The Section of Sleep Medicine is comprised of specialists dedicated to providing excellent patient care for a wide range of sleep-related disorders in adults. The Section offers diagnostic evaluation and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing disorders, insomnia, central disorders of hypersomnolence, parasomnias, and sleep-related movement disorders. We offer both home and in-lab sleep testing services.

Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research

The Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, founded in 2006 is a collaborative effort between the Department of Neurology and the Vollum Institute at OHSU. Our Center’s goals are to conduct groundbreaking research that bridges the gap between basic neuroscience and the treatment of neurological disorders and to provide training programs in disease-oriented neuroscience research.

The six laboratories in our Center conduct foundational research using a range of experimental models encompassing the neurons and glial cells of the nervous system. We seek to make discoveries that will transform the understanding and treatment of neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disorders, brain injury and multiple sclerosis. 

Our faculty members partner with the Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP), the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (PBMS), and other OHSU programs to train research associates, graduate and medical students, and postdoctoral and clinical fellows to become the leading scientists of the future. We have strong interactions with clinical groups on campus like the OHSU Parkinson’s Center, the Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and the Neuroimmunology Division to help translate our discoveries to the bedside. The Center also houses the Advanced Light Microscopy Core, which provides state-of-the-art light microscopy imaging support for investigators in the neuroscience community at OHSU.