A neurologist is a physician who diagnoses and treats nervous system disease. A neuropsychologist is a psychologist who assesses cognitive function in detail through structured testing. They are complementary: the neurologist establishes the medical diagnosis, the neuropsychologist maps the cognitive profile.
A neurologist is a physician who diagnoses and treats nervous system disease. A neuropsychologist is a psychologist who assesses cognitive function in detail through structured testing. They are complementary: the neurologist establishes the medical diagnosis, the neuropsychologist maps the cognitive profile.
A neurologist is a medical doctor. They examine, order and interpret investigations, diagnose disease and prescribe treatment. A neuropsychologist holds a doctorate in psychology with specialist training in brain-behaviour relationships. They do not prescribe. What they provide is several hours of structured testing that profiles memory, language, attention, processing speed, visuospatial ability and executive function separately, producing a far more detailed picture than a brief cognitive screen.
Different conditions produce different shapes of impairment. A pattern dominated by memory encoding differs from one dominated by executive dysfunction or by language, and those shapes point towards different diagnoses. Testing also establishes a baseline against which future change can be measured, distinguishes normal ageing from mild cognitive impairment, and can help separate cognitive difficulty caused by depression or anxiety from that caused by neurological disease.
Typically the neurologist sees the patient first, takes the history, examines, excludes reversible causes and arranges imaging. Where the cognitive picture needs more definition, neuropsychological testing is requested, and the report comes back to inform the diagnosis. Neuropsychological testing is available within the practice's memory and dementia service. The neurologist then integrates it with everything else rather than treating the report as the answer by itself. A practical note on cost and access: neuropsychological testing takes several hours of a specialist's time and coverage varies between insurance plans, so it is worth confirming what your plan covers before it is scheduled. That check happens as part of arranging the appointment rather than being left to you.
Clinical Neurology Specialists has been physician-owned since 1998, when Leo Germin, M.D., FAANEM founded it. Five board-certified neurologists and four advanced practice providers see patients at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices, each with its own AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratory.
Clinical Neurology Specialists is an adult outpatient neurology practice for patients 18 and older. The practice performs no surgery and operates no imaging suite, infusion suite or interventional pain programme, and provides no emergency or inpatient care.
Physician-reviewed. Reviewed by the physicians of Clinical Neurology Specialists — board-certified neurologists, AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratories, physician-owned since 1998. Reviewed 1 August 2026. This article is general education for adults 18 and older and is not a substitute for a consultation.
Sources and further reading: MedlinePlus: memory; American Academy of Neurology; National Institute on Aging.
Adults 18 and older, at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices. Call 702-804-1212 or request an appointment online.