“We need to act now to improve brain health by applying known effective interventions and increasing research to find new ways of promoting brain health”
// GUY ROULEAU Guy Rouleau is director of the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of McGill University, and director of the Department of Neuro science of McGill University Health Centre. For nearly 35 years, he has been identi- fying genes associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders. He has discov- ered more than 20 genes and revealed new mutational mechanisms. A co-founder of the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute, he led The Neuro to become the first aca- demic centre to fully adopt open science principles, accelerating discoveries for the benefit of patients and society.
brain diseases and promoting opti- mal conditions for both the growing and ageing brain. We need to act now to improve brain health by applying known effective interventions and increasing research to find new ways of promoting brain health. Some simple and relatively inex- pensive steps can be implemented to improve brain health and pro- ductivity. Modifiable factors that can retard the development of neu- rodegenerative and vascular brain disorders include reducing vascular risk factors (such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and smoking), improved nutrition, increased physical activity, optimal sleep and reduced social isolation. Although these brain health– promoting interventions are known by many, our societies must more actively and effectively address the modifiable risk factors. For maxi- mum effect interventions must start in youth and continue through- out life. Brain health also requires optimal conditions for brain devel- opment, such as prenatal care, sensory stimulation, active social interaction, improved nutrition, exercise and prevention of trau- matic brain injury. Finding effective treatments for brain diseases requires a better understanding of the brain and its diseases. This can only come from research. However, the brain has always been challenging to study. In its bony box it is not easily accessi- ble. Structurally complex, the brain possesses a challenging anatomy. Unlike most tissues that have at most a dozen different kinds of cells, the brain has an unknown number, estimated at well over a thousand. Accessing tissue samples is critically important to understand disease – brain biopsies are rare. Animal models have limitations in the study of complex human activities such
as language. Recent technological advances are allowing us to overcome some of these difficulties. Genomics, proteomics, single cell biology, brain imaging, AI, induced pluripotent stem cells and new animal models are leading to significant advances in our understanding of the brain and its diseases. These approaches have the potential to enable a more mech- anistically grounded understanding of brain diseases, crucial for the suc- cessful development of new effective treatments and prevention. COLLABORATION FOR COGNITIVE HEALTH Sustained and focused research aimed at identifying ways to improve brain health is desperately needed. We have the tools to iden- tify novel interventions, but we lack the resources and focus required to discover new treatments rapidly. Identifying new ways to improve brain health requires significant resources and the long-term com- mitment of major governments. It is important to adopt an Open Science research model so that data, algo- rithms and reagents can be rapidly and freely shared, while preserving confidentiality and sovereignty. The aim is to generate significant new knowledge that will allow AI and other approaches to advance our understanding of how to improve brain health. G7 leaders at their Évian Summit in June can help by 1) making brain health a priority for all members; 2) promoting evidence-based behav- iours and treatments that optimise brain health; and 3) significantly investing in research and devel- opment aimed at improving brain health. They should carefully review the recommendations on brain health produced by the Science 7, led by the G7 Science Academies, on 19 May 2026.
theneuro.bsky.social
theneuro.ca
// STÉPHANIE DEBETTE Stéphanie Debette is director of the Paris Brain Institute and professor of epidemiol- ogy and neurology at Sorbonne University and Paris Hospitals. She previously led the Vascular Brain Health Institute and Bor- deaux Population Health Centre, and served as vice-president for external relations at the University of Bordeaux, with adjunct and visiting professorships in Boston and Kyoto. The global multiomic studies she coordinates identified novel genomic regions associated with vascular brain dis- ease, uncovering lifespan effects, and new drug targets. She received the Inserm Grand Prix and is a member of the French Academy of Sciences.
institutducerveau.bsky.social
parisbraininstitute.org
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