[Neurosomnology: in the cutting-edge of neurology].

The surnames that honor the title of this work belong to individuals fascinated by the function of sleep and its integration in neurological illness. Sleep is a function of the brain exhibiting changes with age that are predictable. There are two major manifestations of sleep alteration: somnolence and insomnia. A rich variety of sleep alterations is associated with numerous neurological disorders. Some occur acutely like in stroke whereas others appear gradually like those associated with Parkinson's disease and the dementias. The pathology of sleep is a new area of involvement in the scope of practice of the neurologist. In the future the sleep specialist will also intervene in the prevention of mental fatigue and traffic accidents and in the promotion of sleep hygiene in primary medicine.