Israel worries a lot about brain drain.

A scientist leaves for Boston. An engineer moves to London. Another highly trained Israeli builds a career in Sydney. Highly trained Israelis are leaving, and Israel has been diagnosed with a familiar condition: brain drain.

But a neurologist would not stop at the diagnosis.

Consider an ischemic stroke. When blood flow to part of the brain is blocked, brain cells are deprived of the oxygen and nutrients they need. If blood flow is not restored, those cells die.

Knowing that damage has occurred is only part of the story. A CT or MRI shows where the brain has been damaged and how much of it has been affected. The neurological examination asks the question that matters most for the patient:

What function has been impaired?

Can the patient speak? Move an arm? See? Remember? Coordinate movement?

Perhaps Israel should evaluate its brain drain in much the same way.

We already know people are leaving. The more interesting questions are: Where is the loss occurring? Which capabilities are leaving with them? And which important........

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