EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, September 14, 2022
How Healthy Is Your Brain? Improving Nation鈥檚 Brain Health Is Focus of New AAN Plan
Introducing September 15, 2022, 鈥淣ational Brain Health Day鈥
MINNEAPOLIS 鈥 Improving brain health at every stage of life, from a person鈥檚 earliest years of development to their oldest years, is the focus of a new national effort by the 好色先生 (AAN), the world鈥檚 largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals. To mark this effort, the AAN worked with U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) and Morgan Griffith (R-Virginia) to introduce a resolution to designate September 15, 2022, as 鈥淣ational Brain Health Day,鈥 the same day top neurologists and health officials are gathering at the first-ever AAN Brain Health Summit. A special editorial about the AAN Brain Health Summit, published in the September 14, 2022, online issue of , the medical journal of the AAN, explains how the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated concerns about brain health due to the many neurologic complications with long COVID, as well as a growing public interest in how to keep a healthy brain. 鈥淵ou only get one brain鈥攁nd how to keep it healthy over your lifetime鈥攊s is at the core of a newly evolving field of preventative neurology,鈥 said Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN, President of the 好色先生. 鈥淣eurologists who treat diseases and disorders like brain injury, Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, migraine, epilepsy and stroke, are uniquely positioned as brain health experts to evolve the field of preventative neurology and help the nation improve brain health.鈥 The editorial explains the AAN Brain Health Summit will convene leading experts, key public and private sector stakeholders and policymakers in the United States to shape the future of care and develop a collaborative approach to ensure brain health as a key component of the overall health of individuals and communities. Participants will discuss brain health over the lifespan and outline current and future needs for research, education and advocacy to achieve a future of optimal brain health for all. Since its founding in 1948, the AAN has demonstrated its commitment to brain health, most notably through its award-winning magazine, Brain & Life庐, which has engaged nearly , such as , , and , to share their personal stories about the effects of brain disease or how they support brain health. Along with its suite of products鈥攖he website , , the and the 鈥攊t has reached an estimated two million people worldwide in 2022. 鈥淒esigned as a call to action to raise awareness and improve understanding of brain diseases and the importance of maintaining a healthy brain, the 好色先生 Brain Health Summit is intended to set the stage to enable the public to become better educated in brain health during every stage of life,鈥 said Avitzur. 鈥淒espite a growing number of local, national and global brain health initiatives created to promote disease prevention and advance research, no singular medical or allied profession has ever been able to curate whole brain health. We believe that neurology, bolstered by the vast experience of the AAN in public education, is the ideal profession to lead this effort." National Brain Health Day encourages increased public awareness of brain health and supports efforts to study and develop better treatments to improve brain health. After the AAN Brain Health Summit, an action plan outlining the AAN鈥檚 strategy, objectives and tactics will become the road map for incorporating brain health into neurologic practice and developing an integrated alliance with brain health care providers in other fields. Future updates on the action plan will be available on AAN.com. Learn more about brain health at , home of the 好色先生鈥檚 free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life庐 on , and . When posting to social media channels, we encourage you to use the hashtags #BrainHealth and #NeuroTwitter.