Brain capital: a national priority

Promoting brain health builds society's most important capital, brain capital. Brain capital is needed to survive global crises and societal challenges. It also creates the basis for sustainable solutions and innovations. The brain is an irreplaceable engine of human development.

Brain health has traditionally been examined from the perspective of brain diseases. The cost to society related to brain diseases and injuries is significant. However, the economic and other social potential related to brain health is significantly greater than the benefits related to the prevention of brain diseases. This benefit is strongly linked to brain health, mental well-being and brain skills.

Brain diseases are more common in the elderly, and the common brain disease of the elderly, memory disease, has been at the center of the promotion of brain health. The prevention of memory disorders builds one of the central pillars of brain capital. However, a much broader approach is needed that takes into account the brain health of all different age groups starting from protecting healthy fetal brain development and continuing promotion of brain health throughout lifespan.

The brain health of children and young people create the basis for lifelong brain health, and at the same time it has an independent value at each age stage, regardless of the future. Correspondingly, the brain health of working-age people reduces the risk of memory diseases, but regardless of the reduction of brain disease risk, brain health is important here and now.

Brain health creates the basis for a high-quality life, well-being and functional ability. A healthy brain gives the best chance to realize each person's potential. On the other hand, brain health supports resilience, the ability to cope with life's challenges. Resilience can be counted as one of the many brain skills through which the importance of brain health for society is realized. Brain skills are a set of brain functions that enable human development.

The success story of mankind is closely connected to the growth and development of the frontal lobes located in the frontal parts of the human brain. The networks of the frontal lobes regulate the appropriate and efficient use of other brain functions. These regulatory functions of the brain are called executive functions, for which the often-used metaphor is the conductor of the brain. Executive functions are needed in goal-oriented activities as well as in novel and challenging situations. Successful operation in modern life relies on efficient executive functions. Furthermore, coping with societal crises and responding successfully to global challenges with novel solutions and innovations rely on well-functioning conductors of the brain.

The activity of the brain's conductor is quite sensitive to brain diseases and injuries. In addition to many different brain diseases, occupational burnout and insufficient sleep compromise executive functions. On the other hand, promoting brain health and mental wellbeing with high-quality sleep, sense of belonging and brain ergonomics, at the core of the outcome goals of the National Brain Health Programme, fosters the functioning of the brain’s conductor in a way that allow not only coping but thriving.

While the healthcare systems have an irreplaceable role in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders, to achieve its full impact and potential promotion of brain health should be mainly done outside of the health care system in the operating environments of people. The focus of health promotion should be on making sure environments support brain health rather than focusing on individuals and their individual lifestyle choices. Furthermore, brain health promotion should not be an effort where the action is the goal, but instead should be based on measurable outcome goals that help determine the actions needed. The Finnish Brain Health Programme aims at impactful brain health promotion by focusing on everyday operating environments of people and having measurable outcome goals.

The Finnish Brain Health Programme has evoked international interest with its impact-driven approach and novel focus on protecting factors and operating environments and could be a showcase for brain health promotion where the long term impact-goal is humanly sustainable society that supports brain health. Supporting brain health and mental wellbeing of individuals fosters brain skills and build’s brain capital.

Kaisa Hartikainen Associate Professor, Specialist in Neurology, Chief Expert, National Brain Health Programme
Harris A. Eyre M.d., PhD, Z.Yan and Weiman Gao Senior Fellow in Brain Health, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Houston, Texas.