After graduating from Emory Medical School in 2001, I was filled with hope and enthusiasm. Research in neuroscience and brain disorders was at an all-time high, and it seemed that we were on the cusp of multiple breakthroughs in the treatment of neurological disease.

For example, one leading researcher I worked with while in medical school estimated we’d have a cure for Alzheimer’s disease in 10 years. 

It’s nearly two decades later, and we haven’t had a single pharmaceutical breakthrough. 

Now, the prospect of finding drug cures for the common neurological diseases of our time (including Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis, Migraine) seems dim. 

For me, and so many of my colleagues, this has been a disappointing and frustrating experience. 

The job of a physician in the 21st century been mostly reduced to choosing what pill to prescribe. Yet, none of the available medications deliver the results that we want for our patients (and many of them often made matters worse, not better!). 

But the story doesn’t end there!