NeuroCentury

This will be a year of major mobilisation for #brainhealth. An exceptional coalition of the willing is now in place to advance #research and raise awareness. Its rationale is clear: the #neuro space is sinigificantly underfunded compared to other disciplines. As a result, only 2 disease-modifying drugs for Alzheimer’s Disease have been authorised by the US FDA since 2000 as well as 9 symptomatic drugs. In comparison, there have been 573 drugs in oncology, a greatly inspiring result. More is known about the importance of #prevention with the latest The Lancet Commission report raising to 45% the share of #dementia cases worldwide, which could potentially be prevened or delayed by addressing a range of modifiable risk factors. However, #prevention still needs to be translated into a lasting change in lifestyles. The need for awareness-raising is shown by the recent data from the World Alzheimer Report 2024 (see: https://lnkd.in/eqi8rWEa), which shows that 88% of people living with dementia indicate experiencing discrimination. Also, 80% of the general public believes dementia is a normal part of ageing, which it is not (it is a disease). In just over three weeks’ time, a Global Brain Health Movement will be launched at the 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆, a pivotal event taking place during the World Economic Forum meeting in #Davos, organised by Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative and a coalition of organisations. Its mission will be to place the brain at the core of capital markets and innovation, which is exactly where it belongs. You can sign up for the different sessions here: https://lnkd.in/e33UADm3 My great source of inspiration for this year of change is Hassan Fadli, Founder of “5 Ironman’s Beat Alzheimer’s” non-profit, aiming to promote awareness, prevention and research in the field of dementia (https://lnkd.in/e7tkxiNX). A couple of years ago, he decided to honour his father, who has recently died of AD, and contribute to the community. Each Ironman race involves 3.86 km of swimming, 180,25 km cycling and 42,20 km of running. It is an exceptional effort, made for an exceptional cause. I had the pleasure of discussing his immense energy for good on the NeuroCentury podcast: https://lnkd.in/eMPtb8TU . “Surpassing yourself, so that people can surpass the disease” – Hassan could not have put it in a more powerful way.

As all major economies review and finesse their #growth models, the tendency to circle back to old concepts is rife. Yet the #economy is different and so is the world. It is fitting to try to conceptualise an approach that activates our cognitive, emotional and social reserves, somewhat left behind in times of technological frenzy. This is what the concept of the #braineconomy attempts to do. In this week’s EPC commentary, we argue with the fabulous Elizabeth Kuiper and Harris Eyre that a brain-positive economic transformation is needed: https://lnkd.in/eDyX-CH6 Brainpower is key to smooth skill-based transitions while #braineconomy means aligning technological developments with the needs and aspirations of our societies today. Rather than waiting to see where breakthroughs take us, #technology and #investment would need to be channeled more directly to address the most pressing societal problems.

If there is one source of hope amidst the #mentalhealth crisis around the world, it is the impressive mobilization of organisations and funders, working to stave off the challenge. We should have no illusions: the crisis in mental health is not showing signs of subsiding. In fact, it continues to intensify across various demographics and regions. A recent report by Orygen, Australia's Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, highlights a "global crisis" in youth mental health, describing it as unprecedented and urgent. For young people, mental ill-health is the primary threat to the health, accounting for 45% of disease in those aged 10 to 24, yet only receiving 2% of global health budgets. The problem often lies in the delivery of care, and United for Global Mental Health has estimated the annual mental health financing gap at USD200 billion. An urgent paradigm shift is needed. One of the leading organisations devoted to building coalitions for a mentally healthy world is Kokoro , founded by Natasha Müller. It provides trusted space for major mental health funders to meet and collaborate, help new funders get started in mental health, facilitate connections with global experts, perform joint advocacy. I was delighted to discuss Kokoro’s work with its CEO, Jules Chappell OBE, in the NeuroCentury podcast (on Apple: https://lnkd.in/eb2cVDPn, on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/e4MPaZnc). As Jules underlined, so many people today have personal stories to share about mental health, either concerning themselves or someone close to them, family or friends. There are many factors at play, from the influence of social media, insecure employment, reduced access to affordable housing and fears around climate change. Some of them are deeply structural issues. And as Jules argues, systemic risks and opportunities for society at large should be viewed through a mental health lens. “Mental health is powering us as people”. On the positive side, there is a genuine change in how mental health is treated in the workplace. Many companies offer mental health days, flexible working hours, on-site counselling, and comprehensive mental health benefits. To scale efforts further and support networks that bring mental health innovators together, Kokoro has co-founded the Coalition for Mental Health Investment, alongside Wellcome Trust Clinton Global Initiative African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) McKinsey Health Institute: https://lnkd.in/e3TEsqmD. The vision is that within a generation, investment in mental health will meet the global need. As Jules argues in our conversation, the parallel with climate policy, with its milestones and targets, is relevant. Most leaders know what they need to do on climate. They now need to know what to do on mental health.

There are several intense conversations all around, as the world graples with the outcome of the year of elections. Over half of the global population has gone to the polls in 2024 and the geopolitical mood is sour, to say the least. In the developed countries, the predominat discussion is about the cost of living and how to make economic growth work for everyone. Increasingly, the planetary boundaries take the floor in this debate, as we have just seen in Valencia. How #democracy can be reconstituted, so that we make better choices for ourselves and the next generations is the burning question of the day. In this context, integrative approaches are needed, ones which do not circle around the zero-zum logic, but create positive value. As we argue in the recent paper in Brain Communications led by Harris Eyre MD PhD, we need to look at what really matters to people long-term, and how economic value creation can be better focused around those issues, rather than hype of the day: https://lnkd.in/e9GjWDTD. We call this the #brain-positive economic transition, because so much of what we really care about as individuals and societies comes back to who we are, which comes from the brain. Although prioritizing brain health and brain skills will not by itself solve all our problems, it can make us better equipped to manage the age of disruption. When we look at the workplace, employers are already placing a premium on #cognitive and interpersonal skills. Their development requires a healthy brain and greater social cohesion, which is what the brain-positive economy aims to achieve. Nearly 2 trillion US dollars are spent annually on neurological and mental disorders globally, increasing by a striking ∼5% each year. Yet, a 200 billion US dollar funding gap remains for mental disorders alone. This underinvestment drives a profound loss of brain capital. We also have a literacy crisis. Both in the literal meaning of the word, but also health, financial or legal literacy. About 130 million adults in the U.S. have low literacy skills according to a Gallup analysis U.S. Department of Education data: https://lnkd.in/eY3qM7Gv. Low literacy skills constrain our chances and have a profound impact on families and communities. For our democracies to recover their vibrancy, these deficits have to be addressed. There is lots of good news as well, with #innovation and scientific breakthroughs promising new diagnostics and treatments. However, what we can safely assume is that given the demographic trends, we will need to activate all levers to come out into the green on this: from maximum focus on #prevention to doubling down on discovery science, and more. In the paper, we provide a detailed roadmap for how the #braineconomy transition should be realised.

It is inspiring to see forward-looking companies take an increasing interest in the #brain. Whether they are busy solving questions of mobility, industrial automation, or energy efficiency, the workings of the #brain are an unrivalled source of inspiration. There is the potential of brain-derived technologies, such as #neuromorphic computing, and the continuously untapped promise of integrating insights from #neuroscience in #AI. There is also the larger intellectual challenge of grappling with the mystery of the brain and setting one’s future priorities alongside what the brain really wants. It is in this vain that I was delighted to give a lecture to the research community of Bosch in Renningen last month, and share my insights in the company’s phenomenal annual Megatrend Report, impressively put together by the VP Andrej Heinke. Brain is the most complex data system. In a curious parallel with how the universe operates, the total length of fiber connections in the #brain is 2-3 million kilometers, while the diameter of the sun is 1.4 million km. As Jeff Hawkins has written “humans are defined by our intelligence, and our knowledge, not our genes”, meaning that our capacity to learn, reason, and understand the world comes from how our neocortex process information, rather than being pre-determined by our genetic code. This is where our ability to think abstractly, plan, create complex societies, and build technologies is rooted. Being at the cutting edge of #sensor technology, Bosch has a huge role to play in developing and scaling up personalized medicine approaches, with enormous benefits to #brainhealth. This may remain largely under the radar for the moment, but quantum sensors are likely to offer unprecedented precision in measuring brain signals. Bosch Quantum Sensing’s magnetic-field quantum sensors can be 1,000× more sensitive than today’s MEMS sensors. Next-generation brain-computer interfaces will benefit hugely from these developments, as will thousands of people suffering from paralysis or motor dysfunctions. There is so much more to come with the emerging platform-approaches putting data at the service of prevention and early diagnosis. Given that demography and socio-environmental factors will turn #brainhealth into the challenge of the century, innovation in this area should be seen by the life science technology community as a golden opportunity to do good and prosper at the same time.

Prevention is making big inroads, as growing scientific evidence emerges about risk factors, helping to guide interventions. This week’s Fondazione Prada conference on “Prevention of Neurodegenerative Diseases” in Milan, provided an excellent overview of the latest knowledge on the subject. A range of areas, from epidemiology, pollution, food, sleep, or genes was examined. In my contribution on making these insights actionable, I presented a #BrainEconomy Blueprint on Prevention, consisting of the following elements: 🔬Stepping up #research funding in areas where knowledge gaps persist. Although much spending is generic covering prevention in #health at large, domain-specific research priorities are important, given the specificity of the brain and brain disorders. 🔍 Accessibility of the reservoir of knowledge on #prevention should be improved, including agreeing on the methodology for scientifitic validation of risk factors, with more trials where necessary. 🛠️ Systemic investing in prevention needs to be adopted, involving collaboration amoung public, private, and philantropic funders, and deployment of capital in a cross-cutting fashion to catalyse transformations in critical areas. 🌍 Pursuing placed-based prevention, addressing the relevant factors where they strike and taking account of the substantial variability in risk factors: from genetic predispositions to environmental and socioeconomic factors. 🚀 Scaling up personalised prevention, with risk stratification and a brain health tracking system based on validated and optimised tools to be used for assessment and proactive risk reduction. 🏢 Boosting prevention-focused business models, from insurance-based ones incentivising engaging in preventive activities, onto models prioritising prevention-friendly workplace. 🧠 Supporting “good” brain health, building on growing public interest in brain health, and readiness to change lifestyle if required. We are only at the beginning of a profound shift towards #prevention. Its pace and scale will depend on the way scientific insights about modifiable risk factors are validated and translated into actionable plans for interventions. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Big kudos to Prof. Giancarlo Comi and the Fondazione Prada team for convening as well as huge 🙏 to an impressive range of speakers for contributing. #BrainHealth #Prevention #Innovation #Aging #Research #PublicHealth #SystemicInvesting

It is time we add "brain health" into climate discussions. I had the privilege of joining the NeuroCentury podcast's latest episode this week, where we explored the profound impact of climate change on brain health. We delved into how environmental factors like excessive heat and pollution contribute to neurological and mental disorders, exacerbating symptoms and impacting cognition, memory, and mental well-being. We also discussed why it is necessary to amplify the voices of patients and people with lived experiences and the significance of international collaboration in pushing the boundaries of our understanding and developing global strategies to mitigate these impacts. Tune in to learn about how neuroscience and climate change intersect and why addressing this issue is crucial for advancing global health. I also shared practical tips for maintaining brain health amidst these environmental challenges. You can listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gVeWNmZn Thank you Paweł Świeboda for hosting me on your podcast. EcoNeuro #NeuroClimateWorkingGroup #brainhealth #climatechange #mentalhealth

“The climate crisis is a health crisis, but for too long, health has been a footnote in climate discussions” – these words of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of World Health Organization hold true for #brainhealth as well. Neurons in the brain do not exist by themselves. Our brains talk to the #environment and work optimally at a certain temperature. Burcin Ikiz, PhD, an award-winning neuroscientist, founder and chair of the International Neuro Climate Working Group, is compiling a State of the Science report, with all #scientific evidence to date. She points out that #climate change affects brain health through direct and indirect #environmental factors such as increased exposure to heat, air #pollution, and extreme weather events linked to heightened risks of cognitive decline, #mentalhealth disorders, and #neurological diseases. In our recent podcast conversation, Burcin explains that everything that deviates from normal climatic conditions produces a stress response in the brain. This may result in oxidative stress, or mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to the inflammation in the brain. As a result, the brain-blood barrier gets more leaky allowing more toxins to enter to the brain. This affects our memory, cognition, our emotional regulation and wellbeing. The conversation addresses the importance of taking both outdoor and indoor #pollution into account, #patient-driven research, the data which is needed to study the impact of the environment and climate on the brain, evidence-based interventions that will significantly improve outcomes of environmentally related #mental illnesses, and the importance of international collaboration. You can listen to the conversation on Apple podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e3QCTq9x or Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eXQjunMy

More and more countries are setting out to develop their #braincapital or #braineconomy strategies. A project to work on one for the UK was announced today by Sir Norman Lamb, who hosted the Brain Capital UK Summit in London. The notion of brain capital can be helpful in finding solutions to some of the more systemic, and often intractable challenges. The point of departure should be to treat health as a national asset, as powerfully explained at the Summit by Harris Eyre MD PhD, and as recently argued by the Economist: https://lnkd.in/eAj6T5RU The brain capital approach can help to change the logic of investing from late-stage interventions to funding #prevention. When the resources are in short supply, the tendency tends to be to squeeze prevention, still seen as good-to-have but not always a must-have expenditure. Exposing the illusory nature of the cost-saving that this creates is important. Better still to design a cost-benefit approach to resource allocation in healthcare which rewards good health outcomes, as the panel masterfully chaired by Dan Mannix indicated. The most impactful approach to prevention would be to focus on areas where modifiable risk factors are strongest and evidence-based. Greater understanding of what goes on in the brain can certainly help. If we know that sleep is needed to remove toxins from the brain and consolidate memory, it will make us more, rather than less likely to get a good night’s rest. Taking place on the eve of the #WorldMentalHealthDay, a lot of attention was devoted to crafting a mentally healthier nation, as Centre for Mental Health puts it: https://lnkd.in/esnb6adV. In the UK, the proportion of younger workers reporting work limiting mental health conditions has nearly quadrupled in the last decade. Although a number of factors contribute to this outcome, the digital space has played a disproportionately strong role. Its harm, however, is not intrinsic to the digital space but comes from how products are designed. It is not impossible to fix it. In a sign of the times, a lot of emphasis was placed on systemic impact, with Jules Chappell OBE of Kokoro speaking of “radical collaboration” which is needed to bridge the gap in mental health, estimated at 200 bln USD annually: https://lnkd.in/eYQB9cnN There is much to look forward to in the UK’s Brain Capital Strategy, and a lot of sharing of ideas in Europe, and globally.

A week on from the #BrainEconomySummit in New York and I feel nothing but gratitude to all the fabulous speakers, participants as well as our hosts and partners, who made this unique gathering of #brain enthusiasts so special. The Summit gave us ample evidence for the centrality of the brain in the 21st century. It showed that insights from brain science can be valuable not only in #health, but also in education, architecture, design, and… in efforts to revitalize democracy. The learnings are manifold: 🧠 There is no #health without #brainhealth. Scientists and pharma shared excitement over recent breakthroughs, but the goals need to be set high, making the life-cycle approach dent the rising curve of prevalence.  🧠 New concepts are needed to capture the dynamic shaped by #technology and our relation to it. The further the tech moves, the more the question of human agency becomes relevant. We can only remain in control with the help of our #braincapital. 🧠 The brain is not an island. We are under a host of #environmental and social influences which we need to draw conclusions from it, as discussed in my podcast conversation with Agustin Ibanez: https://lnkd.in/eJNwRJhx 🧠 Interdisciplinarity and #systems thinking are an art without which it will be impossible to navigate the complexity of modern-day society. The idea of the #braineconomy is there to provide a blueprint.    🧠 Whatever the geopolitical fortunes or misfortunes of the day, global conversations make more sense than ever. There can be nothing more inspiring than hearing from Prof. Alfred K. NJAMNSHI his first-hand account of being one of the only two neurologists in his country, at some point in time. This is literally moving a mountain. To be tangible, attention needs to be directed to investing in the #braineconomy, as this is where the ultimate proof of concept will be found. What we said last week in this blueprint https://lnkd.in/eG9nHbxn remains a call to action. A huge thank you 🙏 to all our 45 speakers and moderators, participants, wonderful hosts at Steelcase with Ron Martere and impressive partners who have made the event possible: Lundbeck, Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission and Hazel Health. Special thanks to the co-conveners Harris Eyre MD PhD and Rym Ayadi as well as the impeccable support of Christine de Visser. Paul Cherukuri Shiva Dustdar Kana Enomoto Devora Kestel Annika Sten Pärson Claudia Chwalisz Upali Nanda, PhD Joel Rosenthal Jonathan Behr Eric W. Bennett Ronel Golden Marco Mohwinckel Tarek Samad Allison Sekuler A/Professor Jo-An Occhipinti (née Atkinson)Burcin Ikiz, PhD Steve Carnevale Julie Hiromoto, FAIA Jie Z. Tina Hjortlund Isabel Cerdá Marcos Mika Pyykkö Orla Galvin BSc PhD Anna Hemlin Michael Platt Tim Foxx cinzia alcidi Diana Saville Frédéric Destrebecq Quazi Haque