Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI), digital health technologies, and neuroengineering are rapidly transforming the diagnosis and management of movement disorders. By 2050, these innovations, together with profound demographic, cultural, and economic changes, are expected to reshape the role of neurologists far beyond current clinical practice. Methods: movement disorder specialists may evolve from a primarily diagnostic clinician into an orchestrator of personalized neurocare, integrating multimodal digital biomarkers, AI-driven decision support systems, wearable technologies, closed-loop neuromodulation,and disease-modifying therapies. Results and discussion: We argue that future neurological care will increasingly rely on continuous home-based monitoring, predictive modeling, and individualized therapeutic strategies based on biological, clinical and 'social' information rather than purely clinical disease definitions. At the same time, population aging, healthcare sustainability, and disparities in access toadvanced technologies will require neurologists to assume broader responsibilities as multidisciplinary coordinators, integrating clinicalexpertise with data science, ethics, and health economics. Despite the growing role of AI, clinical reasoning, empathy, communication,and shared decision-making will remain irreplaceable components of neurological care. Rather than replacing neurologists, AI is likelyto increase the need for highly trained specialists capable of critically interpreting algorithmic outputs, recognizing their limitations, andcontextualizing recommendations within each patient's biological, psychological, and social framework. The neurologist of 2050 willtherefore become not only a clinician, but also a guarantor of trustworthy, equitable, and human centered precision neurology.
The neurologist of 2050: Rethinking the role in movement disorders in a technologically transformed society
Artusi, Carlo Alberto
2026-01-01
Abstract
Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI), digital health technologies, and neuroengineering are rapidly transforming the diagnosis and management of movement disorders. By 2050, these innovations, together with profound demographic, cultural, and economic changes, are expected to reshape the role of neurologists far beyond current clinical practice. Methods: movement disorder specialists may evolve from a primarily diagnostic clinician into an orchestrator of personalized neurocare, integrating multimodal digital biomarkers, AI-driven decision support systems, wearable technologies, closed-loop neuromodulation,and disease-modifying therapies. Results and discussion: We argue that future neurological care will increasingly rely on continuous home-based monitoring, predictive modeling, and individualized therapeutic strategies based on biological, clinical and 'social' information rather than purely clinical disease definitions. At the same time, population aging, healthcare sustainability, and disparities in access toadvanced technologies will require neurologists to assume broader responsibilities as multidisciplinary coordinators, integrating clinicalexpertise with data science, ethics, and health economics. Despite the growing role of AI, clinical reasoning, empathy, communication,and shared decision-making will remain irreplaceable components of neurological care. Rather than replacing neurologists, AI is likelyto increase the need for highly trained specialists capable of critically interpreting algorithmic outputs, recognizing their limitations, andcontextualizing recommendations within each patient's biological, psychological, and social framework. The neurologist of 2050 willtherefore become not only a clinician, but also a guarantor of trustworthy, equitable, and human centered precision neurology.
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
