What is brain health and why is it important?

Wang, Yongjun; Pan, Yuesong; Li, Hao

doi:10.1136/bmj.m3683

Cited by 66 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The maintenance of brain health is central to health and wellbeing across the lifespan 1. Evidence suggests three periods of dynamic brain changes that may be particularly sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol: gestation (from conception to birth), later adolescence (15-19 years), and older adulthood (over 65 years).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifetime perspective on alcohol and brain health

Mewton

Lees

Rao

2020

BMJ

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifetime perspective on alcohol and brain health

Mewton

Lees

Rao

2020

BMJ

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“…Brain health is an emerging concept without a universally accepted definition ( 1 ). The World Health Organization defines brain health as a concept encompassing neural development, plasticity, functioning, and recovery across the life course ( 2 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Features of a healthy brain are the ability to pay attention, learn and remember, communicate, solve problems and make decisions, support movement, and regulate emotions ( 4 ). Various other definitions of brain health also include preservation of cognitive functions and the absence of neurological disorders ( 1 , 5 ). Regardless of which definition one adopts, maintaining brain health is one of the cornerstones for a long and full life ( 1 , 5 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various other definitions of brain health also include preservation of cognitive functions and the absence of neurological disorders ( 1 , 5 ). Regardless of which definition one adopts, maintaining brain health is one of the cornerstones for a long and full life ( 1 , 5 ). However, because brain disorders (BDs), manifested as neurological and mental illness, present a heavy global burden, and are a major cause of disability and death, long and full life is often not achieved ( 1 , 6 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regardless of which definition one adopts, maintaining brain health is one of the cornerstones for a long and full life ( 1 , 5 ). However, because brain disorders (BDs), manifested as neurological and mental illness, present a heavy global burden, and are a major cause of disability and death, long and full life is often not achieved ( 1 , 6 ). In 2016, neurological disorders were the second leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years [DALYs; calculated as the sum of years of life lost and years lived with disability (YLD)] globally ( 7 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lay Public View of Neuroscience and Science-Based Brain Health Recommendations in Slovenia

Tomat¹,

Perovnik

Vidmar

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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Background: Brain health is one of the cornerstones of a long and full life. Active care for brain health and reduction of lifestyle-related risks for brain disorders may be a key strategy in tackling the growing prevalence of mental and neurological illnesses. Public knowledge, perception, and preventive behavior need to be considered in the planning of effective strategies for brain health promotion. Our research is the first effort aimed at assessing Slovenian lay public knowledge, search and use of scientific information about the brain, and care for brain health.Methods: An online survey was used to gather data for descriptive and associative statistical analyses of a sample of the Slovenian public (n = 2568) in August 2017. Participants with formal brain-related education were excluded, leaving the remaining sample of the lay public (n = 1012). Demographic characteristics and information regarding the perceived importance and knowledge of brain health and engagement in preventive behaviors of participants were collected, and key associative analyses were carried out.Results: The majority of respondents (89%) considered brain health to be important. Over one-third (39%) considered their knowledge of the brain as sufficient relative to their needs. Most of the respondents identified science-recommended practices to be important for brain health. No recommendation was followed daily by the majority of the respondents, primarily due to declared lack of time (59%), and lack of information (32%). Information was obtained primarily from television (38%), followed by newspapers and magazines (31%), the Internet (31%), and direct conversations (27%). However, the highest-rated, preferred source of information was lectured by experts. One-third of our sample struggled with the trustworthiness of information sources. Female gender and older age were associated with a higher frequency of healthy practices. Personal or familial diagnoses of brain disorders were not associated with a higher frequency of the behavior in favor of brain health, but did affect available time and perceived value of preventive practices.Conclusions: Our research provides an initial insight into the perceptions, knowledge, and brain health-promoting behavior of the Slovenian lay public. Our findings can inform future strategies for science communication, public education and engagement, and policy-making to improve lifelong active care for brain health.

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Association of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference With Imaging Metrics of Brain Integrity and Functional Connectivity in Children Aged 9 to 10 Years in the US, 2016-2018

et al. 2023

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ImportanceAside from widely known cardiovascular implications, higher weight in children may have negative associations with brain microstructure and neurodevelopment.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference with imaging metrics that approximate brain health.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to examine the association of BMI and waist circumference with multimodal neuroimaging metrics of brain health in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses over 2 years. From 2016 to 2018, the multicenter ABCD study recruited more than 11 000 demographically representative children aged 9 to 10 years in the US. Children without any history of neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorders were included in this study, and a subsample of children who completed 2-year follow-up (34%) was included for longitudinal analysis.ExposuresChildren’s weight, height, waist circumference, age, sex, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, handedness, puberty status, and magnetic resonance imaging scanner device were retrieved and included in the analysis.Main Outcomes and MeasuresAssociation of preadolescents’ BMI z scores and waist circumference with neuroimaging indicators of brain health: cortical morphometry, resting-state functional connectivity, and white matter microstructure and cytostructure.ResultsA total of 4576 children (2208 [48.3%] female) at a mean (SD) age of 10.0 years (7.6 months) were included in the baseline cross-sectional analysis. There were 609 (13.3%) Black, 925 (20.2%) Hispanic, and 2565 (56.1%) White participants. Of those, 1567 had complete 2-year clinical and imaging information at a mean (SD) age of 12.0 years (7.7 months). In cross-sectional analyses at both time points, higher BMI and waist circumference were associated with lower microstructural integrity and neurite density, most pronounced in the corpus callosum (fractional anisotropy for BMI and waist circumference at baseline and second year: P &lt; .001; neurite density for BMI at baseline: P &lt; .001; neurite density for waist circumference at baseline: P = .09; neurite density for BMI at second year: P = .002; neurite density for waist circumference at second year: P = .05), reduced functional connectivity in reward- and control-related networks (eg, within the salience network for BMI and waist circumference at baseline and second year: P &lt; .002), and thinner brain cortex (eg, for the right rostral middle frontal for BMI and waist circumference at baseline and second year: P &lt; .001). In longitudinal analysis, higher baseline BMI was most strongly associated with decelerated interval development of the prefrontal cortex (left rostral middle frontal: P = .003) and microstructure and cytostructure of the corpus callosum (fractional anisotropy: P = .01; neurite density: P = .02).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cross-sectional study, higher BMI and waist circumference among children aged 9 to 10 years were associated with imaging metrics of poorer brain structure and connectivity as well as hindered interval development. Future follow-up data from the ABCD study can reveal long-term neurocognitive implications of excess childhood weight. Imaging metrics that had the strongest association with BMI and waist circumference in this population-level analysis may serve as target biomarkers of brain integrity in future treatment trials of childhood obesity.

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What is brain health and why is it important?

Abstract: What is brain health and why is it important? Yongjun Wang and colleagues discuss the definition of brain health and the opportunities and challenges of future research on 31 October 2020 by guest. Protected by copyright.

Cited by 66 publications

References 24 publications

Lifetime perspective on alcohol and brain health

Lifetime perspective on alcohol and brain health

Lay Public View of Neuroscience and Science-Based Brain Health Recommendations in Slovenia

Association of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference With Imaging Metrics of Brain Integrity and Functional Connectivity in Children Aged 9 to 10 Years in the US, 2016-2018

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