[Debate: the postgraduate neurology education should be standardized? No]

According to the previous survey of postgraduate neurology education in Japan, there is a wide range of variability among training hospitals in terms of the number of neurologists available for the postgraduate education, the number of beds available for neurological teaching, facilities, the number of residents, diseases of main interests, and subspecialty fields within neurology. Practically speaking, therefore, it is not suitable and it is even impossible to completely standardize the way of postgraduate education throughout the country. 'Essential core curriculum' which consists of history taking and neurological examination, and education of basic neuroscience knowledge related to clinical neurology, combined with clinical neurophysiology including electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG), clinical neuropathology including muscle and nerve biopsy, and neuroradiology, could be standardized to a certain degree at least in part. Other related fields such as neuropsychology, rehabilitation, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and neurogenetics can be educated in certain designated centers of each specific field depending on the resident's choice. Although 'essential core curriculum' could be standardized to a certain degree, 'flexibility program' is more practical in Japan at least in the years to come.