World Brain Day 2023: Brain Health and Disability – Leaving No One Behind

Celebrating a Global Success

Tissa Wijeratne & David Dodick
Co-Chairs, World Brain Day Committee
World Federation of Neurology 

World Brain Day 2023 has been a resounding success, igniting awareness about disabilities on a global scale. Our campaign reached out to over 123 countries, garnering the active support of millions from diverse backgrounds. Our coalition, comprising organizations, patient advocates, professional societies, traditional media, and social platforms, has laid a solid foundation for continued advocacy.

At the heart of our success was the World Brain Day 2023 webinar, where an impressive 29% of registered participants actively engaged. Representing regions across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America, this event truly transcended borders.

During the designated World Brain Day month in July 2023, our Facebook posts reached an astounding 4,490,063 people, accompanied by a remarkable 260% increase in new likes. The World Federation of Neurology's Instagram presence soared to 44,281, attracting 10.9K new followers and experiencing a staggering 670.8% rise in profile visits during the same period.

On Twitter (now known as X), World Brain Day made waves with a substantial increase in impressions, reaching 136,393,000 from July 17 to July 25, 2023, compared to just 5,956,000 impressions in July 2022. We're grateful for the widespread sharing of our content by numerous global organizations, including our partners in the Global Neurological Alliance.

Our impact extended to prestigious neurology journals, such as Lancet Neurology and the Journal of Clinical Neurosciences, sparking extensive discussions on the topic of disability. This underlines the profound reach and influence of World Brain Day 2023.

As we look ahead, don't forget to mark your diary for World Brain Day 2024! The exact date is July 22 2024. Stay tuned and join us in our mission to promote quality neurology and brain health for all. Together, we can make a difference and ensure no one is left behind.

WFNR World Brain Day Webinar

The World Federaton for Neurorehabilitation organised a webinar and round table discussion on 22 July after the WFN webinar.

Topics covered included:

• Neurorehabilitation: Where are we - where to go: Future perspectives 
• The WFNR Task Force for Community Based Rehabilitation
• WFNR contribution to global international strategies
• Disability solutions worldwide (Round table discussions)
• The neurology revolution: the global burden of neurological diseases and strategies for enhancing brain capital for human development 
• Integrated care in perseveration (acute care), prevention (secondary prevention) and plasticity (recovery) to maximize post-stroke outcome 

This World Brain Day is framed by five key aims:

• Prevention: Brain disabilities can be prevented, treated and rehabilitated.
• Awareness: Global brain health awareness can reduce the disability associated with brain disorders.
• Access: Universal access to care, treatment, rehabilitation and assistive technology is essential.
• Education: Education increases equity for those living with brain disabilities.
• Advocacy: Brain health is a human right that applies to everyone, everywhere.

Prevention

• Disability results from the relationship between a person's health condition and environmental factors—including stigma, inaccessible public spaces and a lack of social support, according to WHO.
• Almost everyone will experience temporary or permanent disability at some point in their life.
• A person's environment influences how they experience the disability they live with.
• Brain disabilities can be prevented, treated and rehabilitated.
• If the current rate continues, it is estimated only 23% of the burden from neurological disorders will be prevented by 2040.

Awareness

• Neurological disorders are the number one cause of disability-adjusted life years.
• Neurological disability can be long-term physical, mental, cognitive or sensory impairments that may restrict a person from fully participating in society. 
• Understanding the importance of prioritizing brain health requires an awareness of the important role the brain plays in leading a meaningful and purposeful life.
• Neurological disorders such as stroke, migraine, dementia, meningitis and epilepsy are the number one cause of disability-adjusted life years.
• People with disabilities can die up to 20 years earlier compared to people without disabilities.  
• People with disabilities are twice as likely to develop chronic conditions which can further negatively impact brain health such as depression, diabetes, obesity or stroke.
• Care for brain disabilities is often provided by unpaid family members or friends.

Access

• Universal health coverage and access is an essential aspect of health equity.
• Resources for improvement can be made locally to reduce gaps in equity.
• Access to diagnostics, medicines, interventional procedures, assistive technologies, biological products and cell and gene therapy are required to optimize brain health.

Education

• Education of health care professionals will reduce the global impact of brain disabilities.
• Public education will empower individuals to seek care, optimize their brain health and reduce the disability associated with neurological disorders.

Advocacy 

• Together, we must advocate for equality for those with disabilities and address discrimination.
• Stigma, discrimination and social exclusion are common challenges that people living with brain disabilities—and their families—unnecessarily endure.
• The prevention and care of brain disabilities is a responsibility for all of humanity. We must work to unite health officials, policymakers and the public to work together for solutions.