This week, we’re meeting the President and founder of Community Neuroscience Services, Dr. Jordan Eisenstock.  Dr. Eisenstock oversees practice operations from and sees patients every day in our Westborough office. 

Dr. Eisenstock, what inspired you to become a neurologist?

“I did not necessarily enter medical school thinking that I would become a neurologist.  It did not take long, however, to become fascinated with the complexity of the brain during my studies. I love that while science has been able to discover a tremendous amount of information about the nervous system over the past several decades, there remains a vast area of mystery and unexplored territory. This creates a sense of excitement and an exploring/pioneering aspect to neurology work that most other specialties fail to deliver in quite the same way.”

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a neurologist?

“I appreciate the opportunity to build relationships with not only my patients but also their family members. The saying “it takes a village” is especially relevant for many/most of the common neurologic diagnoses that I encounter in clinical practice, and working closely as a team to optimize the quality of life for everyone involved is meaningful and rewarding.”

If you could have a superpower related to neurology, what would it be and why?

“I’d love to be able to see the future and have a chance to intervene before certain events happen. In many ways, this is what we are trying to do every day in the office through stroke prevention, etc.”

What is your favorite brain fact or trivia that you like to share with patients?

“I’m having trouble thinking of my favorite fact but I’ve stolen the quote from the movie Jerry Maguire about the human brain weighing 8 pounds at various times. I’ve also reminded people that the volume of the white matter in the brain peaks around age 30 but that the brain can still benefit from experience and become wiser over time even if it’s technically shrinking from then on.”

Outside of work, what are your hobbies or interests?

“Family and sports. I will probably never retire, but if I ever did, you’d likely find me on the tennis court or at an amusement park with my wife and kids.”

If you could give one piece of advice to patients to promote brain health, what would it be?

“As you age the most important thing to do is to meet/speak with at least one new person every day.”

What is one misconception or myth about neurology that you would like to debunk?

“It’s commonplace to say that many neurologic diagnoses have no cure and therefore there is nothing that you (as a doctor) can do to help those patients. There really couldn’t be anything farther from the truth. In the case of even the most debilitating neurodegenerative condition, there are always interventions available to continually improve a patient’s quality of life even while in decline from a disease-state perspective. It’s extremely important to approach every encounter with a positive and proactive attitude.”

If you weren’t a doctor, what other profession do you think you would have pursued?

“Realistically, probably an airline pilot. In my dreams, I would have been a major-league baseball player. I was fortunate to play Division 1 baseball in college but that’s where my professional dreams ended.”