Stanford Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Welcome to our Department, a recognized center of excellence in neurology and neurosurgical care for over four decades. With a dedicated team of over 140 faculty members and access to four premier teaching hospitals, we are committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge treatments and innovative research. Our state-of-the-art Stanford Health Care facility, opened in 2019, features over 600 beds and is consistently ranked among the top programs in California. We offer a comprehensive range of services, including a unique outpatient Stanford Neuroscience Health Center and numerous clinics across Northern California, accommodating over 60,000 outpatient visits annually. Our commitment to excellence is further exemplified by our partnerships with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, ensuring compassionate care for a diverse patient population. As we continue to grow alongside the vibrant Northern California community, we remain at the forefront of neurological care, delivering innovative solutions and fostering a culture of education and research.
Antonio Omuro, MD, FAAN
Chair, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Joseph D. Grant Professor and Professor of Neurology
Neurology News
Breakdown of immune cells’ interaction is key driver in aging, study finds
Stanford Medicine researchers have identified a key driver of aging: a breakdown in how immune cells clean up after each other. As we age, tissue-resident macrophages lose their ability to clear out worn-out neutrophils, letting inflammation build across the body. Blocking a single receptor on these macrophages kept mice's organs, including the brain, heart and liver, looking and functioning younger, and slowed cognitive decline. The findings point to a possible drug target for extending healthy aging.
Biological age of our organs and cell types within them predict our disease risk, longevity
A new study led by Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences and director of the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, found that a blood test measuring the "biological age" of 11 organ systems can predict disease risk and mortality, with the brain emerging as the single strongest predictor of how long a person will live. Drawing on blood protein data from nearly 45,000 UK Biobank participants tracked for up to 17 years, the team found that people with an extremely aged brain had a 182% higher risk of dying within 15 years, while those with an extremely youthful brain had a 40% lower risk. An aged brain was also linked to roughly triple the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Wyss-Coray and his team hope the test could eventually help doctors identify at-risk patients and intervene before disease sets in.
Graduation keynote speaker Lily Sarafan urges students to translate science into meaning for patients
In her 2026 Stanford School of Medicine commencement address, Lily Sarafan, chair of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, recounts her own MS diagnosis and treatment with neurologist Jeff Dunn to argue that graduates' essential role is translating scientific information into meaning patients can understand and live with.
Neuroscience:Translate backs childhood epilepsy drug and a neurological monitoring system for hospital patients
The Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute has awarded its 2026 Neuroscience:Translate grants to two teams, including Juliet Knowles, MD, PhD and Christopher Lee-Messer, MD, PhD, pursuing new treatments for a rare form of epilepsy and another working on a neurological monitoring system for hospital patients.
How to concentrate in an ever-distracted world: Five things to know
Stanford Medicine experts explain why focus and concentration are harder than ever to maintain and what you can do about it. Sharon Sha, MD, MS, chief of the Memory Disorders Division, and colleagues from psychiatry and behavioral sciences offer five evidence-based strategies, from proactive distraction management to self-hypnosis, that can help sharpen attention at any age.
Could Parkinson's start in the gut?
PODCAST: Join Kathleen Poston, MD, MS to discuss early signs of Parkinson's outside the brain and how they might influence treatment and detection. We discuss why non-motor symptoms might hold the key to early diagnosis, how new biomarkers are redefining the disease, and whether Parkinson's might actually start in the gut.
Women get Alzheimer’s more often than men: Five things the science tells us
Two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease are women. Stanford Medicine neurologists Victor Henderson and Michael Greicius explain what science tells us about why, from the outsized impact of the APOE4 gene variant in women to the unresolved role of estrogen and hormone replacement therapy, and what still needs further study.
What do we know about Alzheimer's disease and what brings us hope? — Part 2 with Sharon Sha
Following Part 1 of the Alzheimer’s episode, Sharon Sha, MD, MS, clinical professor of adult neurology, speaks to the practical questions patients and families have when receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis and how she helps her patients navigate their health journeys.
What do we know about Alzheimer's disease and what brings us hope? Part 1 with Michael Greicius
In the first segment of a two-part episode, Michael Greicius, MD, MPH, professor of adult neurology, begins by discussing his research in understanding the genetic and molecular roots of Alzheimer’s disease, sharing insights into the convoluted landscape of emerging treatments and new pathologies.
A Pacemaker for the Brain: Treating Parkinson's by Responding to the Brain's Rhythms in Real Time
Neurologist Helen Bronte-Stewart has spent two decades studying what goes wrong in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease. In a Q&A, she explains how that work led to adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS), an FDA-approved therapy that continuously monitors the brain's electrical activity and adjusts stimulation in real time, and what it means to finally see it reaching patients around the world after years of lab research.
Stanford Neuroscience
Stanford Health Care provides comprehensive care and treatment for neurological disorders.