Sabayan Behnam, Boden-Albala Bernadette, Rost Natalia S
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Department of Neurology, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN.
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Neurology. 2025 Jul 8;105(1):e213785. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000213785. Epub 2025 Jun 12.
The global burden of neurologic disorders is rising, driven by aging populations and improved survival following acute neurologic events. As a result, more individuals are living with long-term disabilities from conditions such as stroke, dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Despite significant advances in neurology, there remains an urgent need for a preventive approach to mitigate these trends. Growing evidence highlights the effectiveness of preventive strategies, including lifestyle modifications and risk factor management, in preserving brain health and reducing the risk of stroke, neurodegenerative conditions, and cognitive decline. Preventive neurology operates within a multilevel framework, ranging from direct patient-centered interventions to systemic policy actions requiring organizational and societal support. Neurologists are uniquely positioned as advocates for brain health, promoting preventive strategies in line with the American Academy of Neurology's Brain Health Initiative. This article explores how neurologists can drive change across individual, family, community, and policy levels by leveraging their clinical expertise, community engagement, and health policy influence. Sustainable progress in brain health will also require system-level changes that integrate preventive goals into the fabric of health care delivery, public health infrastructure, and policy frameworks. Special attention is given to underserved populations, who bear a disproportionate burden of neurologic diseases. Through targeted interventions, public health initiatives, and collaborative care models, preventive neurologists can shape brain health outcomes across the lifespan. Training neurologists with a preventive focus will integrate brain health promotion into standard neurology practice, complementing disease management. By addressing the root causes and risk factors of neurologic conditions, preventive neurology provides a pathway to improving quality of life while reducing the global health care burden.
在人口老龄化以及急性神经事件后生存率提高的推动下，神经系统疾病的全球负担正在上升。因此，越来越多的人因中风、痴呆症和其他神经退行性疾病等病症而长期残疾。尽管神经病学取得了重大进展，但仍迫切需要一种预防方法来缓解这些趋势。越来越多的证据表明，包括生活方式改变和风险因素管理在内的预防策略在维护大脑健康以及降低中风、神经退行性疾病和认知衰退风险方面具有有效性。预防性神经病学在一个多层次框架内运作，范围从直接以患者为中心的干预措施到需要组织和社会支持的系统性政策行动。神经科医生作为大脑健康的倡导者具有独特的地位，他们根据美国神经病学学会的大脑健康倡议推广预防策略。本文探讨了神经科医生如何通过利用其临床专业知识、社区参与和健康政策影响力，在个人、家庭、社区和政策层面推动变革。大脑健康的可持续进展还需要系统层面的变革，将预防目标纳入医疗保健服务、公共卫生基础设施和政策框架的结构中。特别关注那些神经系统疾病负担过重的服务不足人群。通过有针对性的干预措施、公共卫生倡议和协作护理模式，预防性神经科医生可以塑造整个生命周期的大脑健康结果。以预防为重点培训神经科医生将把大脑健康促进纳入标准神经病学实践，作为疾病管理的补充。通过解决神经系统疾病的根本原因和风险因素，预防性神经病学提供了一条改善生活质量同时减轻全球医疗保健负担的途径。
