Healthcare News
The Next Frontier in Brain Health
By Isobel Beard, PhD, Medical Writer, Healthcare
Brain health is one of society’s most pressing challenges. In our lifetime, one in two of us could be affected by dementia, either by developing the condition, caring for someone with dementia, or both.1 Madano’s recent event, The Next Frontier in Brain Health, explored something that is (quite literally) on everyone’s mind.
Advances in biomarkers, diagnostics and treatments are rapidly transforming our understanding of brain health. But is scientific progress alone enough? Real gaps remain in our knowledge, treatment and access to care, and closing them means looking beyond the lab.
Miriam Kenrick, founder of The Sex Factor, guided the conversation alongside three presenters, each bringing different perspectives on the economic, biological and societal factors that must be considered as we look towards the future of brain health.
Why brain health matters beyond healthcare
Dr Sasha Bozeat, Global Medical Science Leader at Roche, opened by reframing the scale of the challenge, drawing attention to the wider societal and economic impact of brain disorders. Two-thirds of the economic burden of brain disorders stems from unseen costs, lost productivity.2,3
Improving brain health also requires us to consider the wider factors that shape people’s experiences of the disease. This includes addressing inequity and moving towards a more personalised approach. Social determinants, including gender and ethnicity, can shape both diagnosis and access to care, meaning that tackling inequality must form part of a systemic approach to improving brain health.
This means that improving brain health is not simply a clinical challenge. It is also a societal and economic one.
Precision medicine needs to become more precise
Dr Maria Teresa Ferretti, Co-Chair of the Coordinating Panel on DEI in neurology at the European Academy of Neurology, pushed this further, highlighting the importance of considering sex and gender as we move towards a more personalised approach to brain health. Women account for roughly two-thirds of people with Alzheimer’s disease,4 yet older women remain underrepresented in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, because they are less likely to have a caregiver available to support their participation. This creates a clear disconnect. Women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease, yet remain underrepresented in research.
The differences run deeper than prevalence. Sex and gender can shape disease risk, an individual’s experience of disease and underlying pathology. Tau pathology is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, and Ferretti highlighted evidence that women have greater tau burden and faster tau accumulation than men.
Precision medicine starts as a scientific question but ends up being a health equity issue.
Innovation must reach the communities it is intended to serve
Dr Karan Jutlla, Founder and Head of the Centre for Applied and Inclusive Health Research at the University of Wolverhampton, brought the discussion to the real-world implications, focusing on cultural inclusivity in dementia care and highlighting the persistent inequalities experienced by some communities affected by dementia. Despite advances in diagnosis, treatment, research and care, the benefits are not shared equally.
Through the InvolveD project, Jutlla has worked alongside South Asian, Black African and African Caribbean communities to develop culturally relevant and place-based dementia support. Her work shows why listening to and working with communities experiencing inequality is essential if the rapidly evolving field of dementia is to be inclusive.
Scientific advances can only deliver meaningful change if they reach and reflect the communities they are intended to serve.
When the statistics become personal
The discussion that followed the presentations was equally thought-provoking, with one question from the audience standing out. How do we tell this story in a way that people can understand without making dementia feel overwhelmingly frightening?
One attendee shared her experience as the sole carer for her mother with dementia, reflecting on the huge impact this had on her own life. Her experience brought the statistic that two-thirds of unpaid carers for people with dementia are women into focus.4 It was a reminder that dementia does not only affect the person diagnosed. Its impact extends to families, carers and communities.
Throughout the evening, it became clear that the science of brain health is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Better biomarkers, more precise medicine and a growing understanding of biological and social determinants are giving us a more nuanced picture of neurological disease. But sophistication cuts both ways. Greater scientific complexity creates a corresponding need for clear, inclusive and human communication, with the people it affects kept firmly in view.
As we mark World Alzheimer’s Day, it is important to recognise how far the field has come, while remembering that scientific progress only matters if it reaches the people who need it.
If you work in brain health and are thinking about how research, communications and engagement can help make progress more equitable, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with our healthcare team to continue the conversation.
References
- Alzheimer’s Research UK. How we calculated our ‘one in two’ dementia statistic – and what we’ll do about it. Alzheimer’s Research UK. Available here. (Accessed September 2026).
- Brain Health Atlas. Brain health. Brain Health Atlas. Available here. (Accessed September 2026).
- GBD 2021 Nervous System Disorders Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Neurol. 2024;23(4):344–381.
- Alzheimer’s Research UK. The impact of dementia on women. Alzheimer’s Research UK. Available here. (Accessed September 2026).