Embodied neurology: an integrative framework for neurological disorders

The brain and spinal cord are interwoven with the body, through afferent and efferent synaptic connections—they are literally ‘embodied’. Neurologists appreciate the embodied nature of neurological disorders in terms of diagnosis, classification and their understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. This framework aims to link pathology to phenomenology, while respecting the ‘embodied’ nature of the nervous system. If fully realized, the framework of embodied neurology has the potential to improve functional outcome following individualized treatment (i.e. precision neurology), promote successful translation of novel therapeutics into clinical use, and refine nosology in the context of disease heterogeneity. Embodied neurology attempts to account for the circular causality inherent in coupled dynamical systems by measuring and modelling biophysical functional interactions across multiple levels within the interlinked central and peripheral nervous system—as well as the bodily functions they serve.

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  Reciprocal information flows between the body and the nervous system are crucial for understanding and treating neurological disorders.
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  Even successful repair of focally damaged fibre tracts may not lead to complete recovery because tissues and organs exterior to the CNS are impacted by the central lesion, requiring additional interventions.
• 3
  Two-pronged treatments—targeting the central and peripheral nervous system and the bodily functions they serve—may be necessary to re-establish a functional interaction between the body and brain.