Clinical neurophysiology on the internet: www.neurophys.com

Straightforwardly, this website, www.neurophys.com pitches itself as “clinical neurophysiology on the internet”. It does indeed cover the spectrum of neurophysiology from basic science to neurophysiology on through to clinical practice; however, there is clearly more of an emphasis on the physiology of the nervous system than on what we now accept as the realm of clinical neurophysiology and its quantitative analysis of the nervous system.

There is some useful coverage of fundamental neurophysiological principles and neuroanatomy and its functional components with concise text and clear diagrammatic representations. This is helpful from an educational point of view and providing a refresher of those neural pathways that you know you should know. There are many useful links to the relevant neurophysiological organisations, institutions, and journals. This site, however, appears to rely on the array of various links rather than on its own intrinsic content.

There is an attempt at comprehensive coverage of EEG, EMG, and evoked potentials, but overall the depth of information available is limited. Use of the search engine for such topics as alpha coma and neuromyotonia was also disappointing.

The basic requirements of a good and useful site are its design and layout, allowing easy use and retaining the user’s focus while also providing thorough coverage of the subject matter. On both counts I found this site somewhat lacking. The graphics are dated and some interactive content would be helpful. There are also an annoying number of broken links. The information available is limited, with whole areas, such as intraoperative monitoring and sleep, receiving scant attention.

Overall I found the site of limited interest. The positive aspects being in neurophysiological theory rather than its treatment of clinical matters of practical interest and concern to the clinical neurophysiologist or neurologist.