Brain Health Summit, 

Brussels 

NeuroCentury took part in the Brain Health Summit organized by the European Academy of Neurology in Brussels. A regular event gathering the neurology and patient community, the Summit looked forward to the next EU legislature 2024-2029, discussing what needs to happen for brain health to become a genuine European political priority. MEP Tomislav Sokol from the European People’s Party urged the participants to be as vocal and active as possible, given that the burden of neurological disorders is often underestimated in the public discourse. He shared very openly his sense that a European initiative on cardiovascular disorders is likely to receive more support in the next political cycle, but one related to the brain should come next. The ensuing discussion demonstrated how closely neurology advocacy organizations work with patients and their representatives. Prof. Paul Boon, President of the European Academy of Neurology, spoke powerfully about the economic burden of non-communicable diseases, while his future successor (the EAN being very efficient in planning ahead) Prof. Elena Moro, the President-Elect of EAN, drew attention to the caregiver burden which is often the forgotten one in neurology. She declared that the EAN will develop a strong educational programme to address caregivers’ needs. This was taken up by Anna Jansen, Board Member of the European Paediatric Neurology Society, who argued that a new role needs to be promoted, that of a care manager, accompanying families throughout the course of a disease. Much emphasis was made throughout the event on the need for a shift to holistic, life-cycle approach to brain health.

The next EAN Brain Health Summit is foreseen for 7 May 2024