Brain health: a new concept to the neurologist - an initiative of the Lifestyle Medicine Commission of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

Brain health is an emerging global concept that covers cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral, and motor functions enabling individuals to reach their full potential across life. Neurological diseases remain a major cause of death and disability, with large preventable components shaped by environmental factors, social connections, lifestyle choices, and cardiovascular health. International and national programs stress multidisciplinary care and early prevention, including multifactorial community interventions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

WHO definition of brain health

Global relevance and preventable burden

Prevention strategies and multidisciplinary care

Community multifactorial programs

Need for research and public health integration

Article published online: 2025-08-31 Brazilian Academy of Neurology 1 Brain health: a new concept to the neurologist – an initiative of the Lifestyle Medicine Commission of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology Luis Daniel Silva Pilatti 1 Conrado Regis Borges2 Samira Luisa Apóstolos-Pereira3 Marcelo Rezende Young Blood4 Raphael Machado Castilhos 5 Brenda Leticia Lopes Batista6 Fabiano Moulin de Moraes7 Marcos Christiano Lange 1 1 Universidade Federal do Paraná, Complexo Hospital de Clínicas, Divisão de Neurologia, Curitiba PR, Brazil. 2 Hospital Sírio-Libanês, Divisão de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil. 3 Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil. 4 Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Hospital Universitário, Divisão de Neurologia, Ponta Grossa PR, Brazil. 5 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Divisão de Neurologia, Porto Alegre RS, Brazil. Arq. Neuro-Psiquiatr. 2025;83(8):s00451811234 . Address for correspondence Luis Daniel Silva Pilatti (email: [luisdanielsp@gmail.com](luisdanielsp@gmail.com)) 6 Hospital da Restauração, Divisão de Neurologia, Recife PE, Brazil. 7 Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, São Paulo SP, Brazil. Abstract Keywords ► Brain ► Mental Health ► Cognition ► Primary Prevention ► Environmental Hazards Brain health is an emerging concept that is gaining international attention. It encompasses cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral, and motor functions that enable people to reach their maximum potential throughout all stages of life. With substantial preventable components, neurological diseases—including stroke and dementia—are the second largest cause of death worldwide and of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) . Studies continue to underscore the impact of environmental factors, social connections, lifestyle choices, and cardiovascular health on brain health outcomes. Major programs like the Intersectoral Global Action Plan (IGAP) on epilepsy and other neurological disorders of the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 (now Life’s Essential 8), and national policies in Uruguay, Switzerland, and Norway emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary care and early prevention. At the community level, programs such as the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) and its global variants emphasize the value of multifactorial interventions suited to the prevalence of social determinants among each population. It is crucial to encourage the incorporation of brain health into professional training, policy development, and public health frameworks. Despite improvements in stroke prevention, Brazil still has gaps in the research and promotion of brain health. To meet the global objectives for brain health, it is imperative to consistently invest in interdisciplinary research, public education, and equitable access to care in order to promote healthier aging and a received March 25, 2025 received in its ﬁnal form May 14, 2025 accepted June 13, 2025 DOI [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)10.1055/s-0045-1811234 . ISSN 0004-282X. Editor-in-Chief: Hélio A. G. Teive. Associate Editor: Mariana Spitz. © 2025 . The Author(s) . This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)) Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda. , Rua Rego Freitas, 175, loja 1, República, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01220-010, Brazil 2 Brain health: a new concept to the neurologist Pilatti et al. better quality of life. The present review examines the various aspects of brain health dete

FAQs

What domains are included in the concept of brain health?

Brain health encompasses cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral, and motor functions that support full potential across the life course.

Why is primary prevention important for brain health outcomes?

Many components of neurological diseases are preventable, and studies highlight the roles of environment, social connections, lifestyle choices, and cardiovascular health in shaping outcomes.

Which international programs are cited as examples of prevention approaches?

The text mentions WHO’s intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders, AHA’s Life’s Simple 7 (now Life’s Essential 8), and community interventions such as FINGER and related global variants.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick