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CC BY 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2025; 83(08): s00451811234
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811234
Brazilian Academy of Neurology

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   Universidade Federal do Paraná, Complexo Hospital de Clínicas, Divisão de Neurologia, Curitiba PR, Brazil.
,
Conrado Regis Borges 
2   Hospital Sírio-Libanês, Divisão de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Samira Luisa Apóstolos-Pereira 
3   Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Marcelo Rezende Young Blood 
4   Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Hospital Universitário, Divisão de Neurologia, Ponta Grossa PR, Brazil.
,
Raphael Machado Castilhos 
5   Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Divisão de Neurologia, Porto Alegre RS, Brazil.
,
Brenda Leticia Lopes Batista 
6   Hospital da Restauração, Divisão de Neurologia, Recife PE, Brazil.
,
Fabiano Moulin de Moraes 
7   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Marcos Christiano Lange 
1   Universidade Federal do Paraná, Complexo Hospital de Clínicas, Divisão de Neurologia, Curitiba PR, Brazil.
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Abstract

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 better quality of life. The present review examines the various aspects of brain health determinants and offers neurologists and other medical professionals the most recent information by emphasizing prevention strategies, early childhood care, and holistic approaches that go beyond disease management.

Keywords

Brain - Mental Health - Cognition - Primary Prevention - Environmental Hazards

Authors' Contributions

Conceptualization: MCL, LDSP; Data curation: MCL, LDSP; Formal analysis: MCL, LDSP, CRB, SLAP, MRYB, RMC, BLLB, FMM; Funding acquisition: MCL, LDSP, CRB, SLAP, MRYB, RMC, BLLB, FMM; Investigation: MCL, LDSP; Methodology: MCL, LDSP; Project administration: MCL, LDSP; Resources: MCL, LDSP, CRB, SLAP, MRYB, RMC, BLLB, FMM; Validation: MCL, LDSP, CRB, SLAP, MRYB, RMC, BLLB, FMM; Visualization: MCL, LDSP, CRB, SLAP, MRYB, RMC, BLLB, FMM; Writing – original draft: MCL, LDSP; Writing – review & editing: MCL, LDSP, CRB, SLAP, MRYB, RMC, BLLB, FMM.


Data Availability Statement

Data supporting this study are included within the article and in the references.


Editor-in-Chief: Hélio A. G. Teive; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2305-1073.


Associate Editor: Mariana Spitz; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7548-2313.




Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 25. März 2025

Angenommen: 13. Juni 2025

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
31. August 2025

© 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/)

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Bibliographical Record
Luis Daniel Silva Pilatti, Conrado Regis Borges, Samira Luisa Apóstolos-Pereira, Marcelo Rezende Young Blood, Raphael Machado Castilhos, Brenda Leticia Lopes Batista, Fabiano Moulin de Moraes, Marcos Christiano Lange. Brain health: a new concept to the neurologist – an initiative of the Lifestyle Medicine Commission of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2025; 83: s00451811234.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811234