An interview with Elena Moro on a holistic understanding of “brain health”, the huge potential of prevention and health promotion, as well as the goals of the Brain Health Mission.
Interview: Dietmar Schobel
HEALTHY EUROPE
Professor Moro, the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) launched the Brain Health Mission (BHM) in 2023. What were the reasons behind this new initiative?
Elena Moro: Neurological disorders like stroke, dementia, migraine, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide. They affect more than 41 percent of the global population, and a study by the EAN revealed direct/indirect costs totalling 1.7 trillion euros per year in the WHO European Region alone. Prevalence is rising due to ageing populations, but also to lifestyle and environmental factors such as comorbidities and pollution. Yet there is a growing shortage of neurologists and family doctors. Altogether, this presents a significant threat to public health, and as there is not much awareness among the general public to date, the EAN wants to find sustainable solutions to overcome this major challenge. The Brain Health Mission is one of our strategies here, with 29 strategic partners.
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What are the goals of the Brain Health Mission?
Elena Moro: We have three key goals. One is to ensure that a basic understanding of brain health and how to optimise it is available to the general public throughout all stages of their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Alongside this, we want to support and publicise public health strategies that can have a meaningful and long-term impact here. Our third goal is to boost the workforce of neurological and mental health professionals. To achieve this, we have developed activities like the Brain Health School Challenge, which raises awareness of brain health among children and their peers. It has already been adopted in four European countries and continues to expand into new regions. We have started an Advocacy Training Programme that has already equipped more than 100 neurologists across Europe and beyond with the skills to champion brain health in their communities. We also host an annual European Brain Health Summit during Brain Awareness Week in March, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders.
Health promotion and prevention have huge potential.
ELENA MORO, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY
HEALTHY EUROPE
What exactly is brain health?
Elena Moro: The EAN/BHM sees brain health not just as the absence of disease, but as a holistic state encompassing cognitive, emotional, psychological and neurological wellbeing at every stage of life. This perspective aligns with that of the World Health Organization.
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What are the important factors in achieving the best possible brain health?
Elena Moro: Crucial elements include a healthy diet, sufficient and regular physical activity, good sleep, stress management, good social contacts and specifically cognitive stimulation. Engaging the mind through learning and mental activities promotes lifelong brain vitality. Successful programmes integrate health promotion, education and social services. They should start in the early years, for example combining prenatal care with maternal mental health support.
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What can that achieve in the area of neurological disease?
Elena Moro: Health promotion and prevention have huge potential. This can be illustrated in the following two examples, for instance: up to 90 percent of strokes are considered preventable through lifestyle modifications and management of risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, smoking and diabetes. In addition, scientific research shows that approximately 40 percent of Alzheimer’s disease cases worldwide could potentially be prevented or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors like physical inactivity, diet and loneliness. Policy, education and advocacy play a crucial role in making this possible: access to preventive healthcare, equal access to resources and education, integrating brain health into broader public health strategies, fostering collaboration among professionals, policymakers and communities, and supporting research and innovation, are all essential.
Elena Moro is Professor of Neurology at Université Grenoble Alpes, Division of Neurology, CHU of Grenoble, France, and since July 2024 she has been President of the European Academy of Neurology, Europe’s largest neurology society.