Grand challenge veterinary neurology and neurosurgery: Veterinary neurology and neurosurgery - research for animals and translational aspects

Abstract

Neurology and neurosurgery are a recognized specialty in human and veterinary medicine (1) having many overlaps with other disciplines, such as internal medicine, surgery, imaging, and pathology. In some countries, in human medicine, neurology and neurosurgery are even recognized, separate subspecialties with different training pathways. In veterinary medicine, discussions are still ongoing about the in-depth training in these subspecialties for the diplomate status. Neurologic diseases are frequently seen in veterinary practice worldwide, and increasingly better recognized and diagnosed (2). It is expected that due to the longer life expectancy of people and companion animals, neurologic problems will become more and more important (3). The increasing knowledge in veterinary neurology results in tremendous expectations from practitioners, specialists, and animals owners to develop or receive specialized care (4). This assumption is supported by a study about the cause of death in dogs in the United Kingdom: the most frequently attributed causes of death were neoplastic, musculoskeletal, and neurological disorders (5) reflecting the need for research in this discipline. This need is partially reflected by a constant increase of veterinary neurology publications (4) and the fast growing specialist colleges in Europe and US. In the last several years, diplomates of the European and American Colleges of Veterinary Neurology started multicenter studies to enhance the power of clinical research, find more evidence-based treatment methods (6), formulate consensus (7), and improve undergraduate and postgraduate training in veterinary neurology (8, 9). These efforts are still challenging and require good collaborations in the future to learn more about this specialty, about diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems and to give specialized care to our animal patients. A journal and review method to support such efforts is one of the tools for future collaborations.