By 2050, the world's population will be close to 10 billion people, and if the World Health Organization's estimates are correct, 22% of them, or 22 billion people, will be over the age of 60.
Another study by American doctors found that by the same year, the number of people living with dementia could triple to 132 million.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that poor brain health costs the global economy $8.5 trillion annually in lost productivity. This number will further increase as the population ages.
The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative (DAC), a Swiss-based foundation, said: “We need to better understand the brain and help people improve their brain health as part of One Health in every community, country and health system. We must provide access to tools and information to help them grow.” and a U.S. 501c3 initiated by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease (CEOi).
DAC held a roundtable discussion at Davos to discuss the need to prioritize brain health globally, especially given its impact on human and societal well-being, productivity and resilience. .
This discussion brought together leaders from international organizations, scientists, health industry experts, policy makers, and forward-thinking people across both the private and public sectors. Their joint objectives explore the importance of brain health as a key economic imperative, highlight the urgent need for continued global cooperation, and ensure the well-being of people at all levels of resources. The aim was to emphasize the important role of strengthening health systems in order to
The discussion, moderated by DAC Founding President George Vladenberg, will focus on advancing the development of immunotherapies and vaccines, speeding up interventions through the lens of patient groups, evaluating the effectiveness of public-private partnerships, and strengthening health care. , various important themes were covered. Highlighting risk reduction and prevention education efforts, the disproportionate impact on women, and highlighting the imperative of strengthening data sharing efforts.
The event also launched a new network of global 'Brain Health Ambassadors' working to embed brain health at the primary care level and promote the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias internationally. His Excellency Luis Gallegos, Chairman of UNITAR and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, has been appointed as the first Brain Health Ambassador.
Brain Health Essentials
“There's no question that we're all living longer, and that's good news,” Vladenberg said.
He emphasized that longer lifespans contribute positively to society and the economy, as individuals work for longer periods of time. But he noted a potential oversight: “You rarely hear that brain lifespan equals healthy lifespan.”
Vladenberg expressed concern about the prevalence of people spending the last 10 years of their lives living with some form of dementia.
“The spread of this disease is enormous, with nearly 50 million people infected worldwide,” Vladenberg said. “But the disease starts about 25 years before symptoms appear. So to get the total number of people who are actually experiencing this disease, we need to use this estimate of 50 million people diagnosed worldwide. must be multiplied by the correct factor.”
Take Switzerland for example. “If you look at Switzerland alone in terms of disease burden due to brain health disorders over the past 20 years, Alzheimer's disease ranks second,” says Roche's Global Brain Health and Neurology Healthcare Ecosystem. said Dr. Mikel Epperly, Integration Program Leader.
The silver lining, Vladenberg said, is that today doctors and scientists have a better understanding of what enables the brain to be resilient and what can prevent Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, as innovation accelerates and populations age, more countries and leaders are considering brain health an economic, social, and policy imperative.
“Governments, businesses, international organizations, and the scientific and advocacy communities around the world are paying attention like never before. We have reached a critical tipping point in our actions,” Vladenberg said. . He reminded that “2023 was a pretty good year” for Alzheimer's patients, as the first disease-modifying drug was fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and covered by Medicare.
“This is great news for the patient community,” he said. However, he acknowledged that the drug is only moderately effective, reducing the rate of decline by up to 27%, has side effects, and is expensive.
Professor Mia Kivipelt of Karolinska Institutet emphasized that there is now a wealth of information about the factors that influence Alzheimer's disease, especially genetics and the preventive measures available.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle, she says, including maintaining a balanced diet, participating in regular physical activity, practicing relaxation techniques, managing stress effectively, and providing cognitive stimulation. That is extremely important. She emphasized that indicators of optimal cardiovascular health are consistent with indicators important for maintaining brain health, such as blood pressure regulation, cholesterol management, obesity prevention, and diabetes management. did.
“What's good for your heart is also good for your brain,” Kibipelt says.
cognitive reserve strategies
Professor Murali Doreiswamy of Duke University pointed out that neuroplasticity is also important.
“The important thing is that the brain is plastic throughout life,” he said.
Let's think about young children. Toddlers use multiple senses and may even try chewing, sniffing, and bouncing objects, Doraiswami said. Participating in multisensory activities like this helps form networks in the brain. These networks play a vital role in the formation of memories and experiences.
Professor Doraiswami emphasized that neuroplasticity persists even late in life, and researchers are studying various electrical and chemical stimuli in rodent models to enhance neuroplasticity. He said there was. He cautioned that these techniques have not yet been applied to humans, but hinted at possible future applications.
Furthermore, Doriswamy introduced the concept of “cognitive reserve”.
“Cognitive reserve can simply be thought of as how many extra networks you have built in your brain over a lifetime of experiences,” he said. “If you have a neurodegenerative disease, that reserve capacity protects you from decline. That means even if you have access to cell phone towers and there are more cell phone towers, some people will get knocked out. Also, consider that you still have electricity.
“Therefore, it is very important for us to learn how to develop and monitor our cognitive reserve.”
He said doctors can assess an individual's brain and cognitive reserve using cutting-edge digital tools, including those accessible from smartphones.
“In addition to all the drug treatments that pioneers are developing, I think we also need to develop non-drug treatments,” Dr. Doraswamy continued. “It is now possible to create closed-loop systems that allow people to perform cognitive self-tests in the comfort and convenience of their own homes using digital tools such as smartphone apps. Those reports can also be sent to doctors. You can also use these tools to train for five minutes a day on which parts of your abilities are weaker than usual.”
Global brain health initiatives
CEOi Executive Director Drew Holzapfel said some programs are already underway and functioning. For example, this year his organization is collaborating with eight of his major facilities in five countries to improve how Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed. His organization has funded 19 programs in 12 countries in 2023.
“We are working to shorten the time between discovery and diagnosis so that people who need treatment can get it as quickly as possible,” Holzapfel said.
His organization's second focus is building collaborations to expand long-term clinical trial research in Alzheimer's disease and brain health. In India, for example, a group of high-volume clinics is considering the role of AI in brain health. In another example, they are working with ophthalmologists there to help detect cognitive impairment early and bring those people into the health care system.
The group has also begun exploring how brain health and climate change are interconnected with partners in Kenya, Slovenia and Chile.
Finally, he said they are working on finding ways to involve the government.
“Many governments and international organizations have made commitments to Alzheimer's disease. We are therefore committed to working with these governments to ensure we advance these commitments.” Holzapfel said.
Noémie Le Pertel, Ph.D., is a senior fellow and founding chair of the Economics of Well-being and Global Human Flourishing Working Groups of the Human Flourishing Network, affiliated with the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences at Harvard University. , said her team is currently working on the most comprehensive study in the world. Research on various childhood predictors of mental health, physical health, and across the lifespan.
Mr. Le Pertel said: “The call to action I wanted to put forward was for front-line leaders working within organizations: what can we do to seize opportunities in the workforce to improve the skills of our people? 'Understanding the role of their brain health and how it impacts not only organizations, societies and economies, but also the future of our society.' for? ”
Image credits: Courtesy of Davos Alzheimer's Cooperative, Courtesy of Davos Alzheimer's Cooperative, Courtesy of Davos Alzheimer's Cooperative.
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