Michael McCauley, MD, MS, is a general neurologist practicing in Westerly Hospital, RI. In addition to treating a variety of general neurological conditions, he has special expertise in clinical neurophysiology, which involves performing nerve conduction studies (NCS/EMG), which use electrical impulses to measure the function of nerves and muscles, and interpreting electroencephalograms (EEG), which measure electrical activity in the brain.
“I became a physician because I loved science but also enjoyed communicating with people, and this profession allowed me to blend the two,” Dr. McCauley says. He became curious about the brain after suffering a bad concussion in medical school and decided to pursue it after a neurology rotation the following year.
“Neurology disorders are all complex puzzles,” Dr. McCauley says. “There are patterns to many disorders that we are trained to recognize and then confirm our suspicion with the neurologic exam.” There are good treatments available for many neurological conditions, including epilepsy, migraine, concussion, and neuropathy, he says. “It’s true there are a few major neurologic diseases, such as dementia, that still have no cure and can be difficult, but people still benefit from having a physician guide them through their illness and help them live with dignity,” he says.
An assistant professor in the academic clinician track, Dr. McCauley has dual appointments in the divisions of general and neuromuscular neurology at Yale School of Medicine.
