Look Ahead in Neurology: What are Clinicians Excited About for 2026?

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"We're in a very exciting time in medicine. Honestly, the thing that gets me most excited is AI. It’s, of course, a big topic in general and in medicine right now, but I’ve seen so many exciting developments in this field."

The field of neurology continues to evolve rapidly, with advances spanning diagnostics, therapeutics, and care delivery. To learn more about what clinicians are looking forward to in 2026, NeurologyLive^® spoke with several experts, who identified innovation, personalization, and technology as key drivers shaping the field’s future. From artificial intelligence (AI) to novel disease-modifying strategies and emerging pharmacologic agents, the discussion highlighted both momentum and measured optimism about what lies ahead.

Experts featured in this discussion include:

• Katrina Bawden, MSN, MSCN, FNP-C, a nurse practitioner at the Rocky Mountain MS Clinic
• Kathrin LaFaver, MD, FAAN, DipABLM, a neurologist in the Department of Neurology at Saratoga Hospital Medical Group and the co-founder of the Women Neurologists Group (WNG)
• Brenda L. Wong, MD, the chief medical advisor at CureDuchenne
• Gerald Maguire, MD, the director of residency training in psychiatry at College Medical Center in Long Beach, California, and the president of the Stuttering Treatment and Research Society (STARS)
• Mariana Hernandez Gonzalez-Monje, MD, PhD, a movement disorder specialist at Northwestern Medicine

The speakers represent a broad range of neurologic subspecialties, including movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, neuromuscular disorders, and neuropsychiatry. Their perspectives reflect the diversity of modern neurologic practice, spanning academic research, advanced practice nursing, translational therapeutics, and clinical innovation. Across these disciplines, each expert described areas of progress relevant to their respective patient populations.

Overall, the experts discussed current research into AI applications for diagnostic support and patient monitoring, emerging mechanisms of action for immune-mediated neurologic diseases, and investigational disease-modifying strategies targeting underlying pathophysiology. They also highlighted pharmacologic treatments under regulatory review that, if approved, could expand the therapeutic landscape. The conversation emphasized efforts to personalize care, identify predictive biomarkers, and improve outcomes across neurologic conditions.