On April 2, many initiatives were launched to promote the World Autism Awareness Day and shine a light on this disorder - in particular, national landmarks were lighted in blue all around the world. This event has been an occasion to review what is currently known about autism, as many misconceptions remain associated to it. Over time, the definition of [...]

Today, though science of consciousness keeps on growing to discover more and understand better the conscious brain that makes us the social human beings we are, questions remain in the scientific community as to what the current state of knowledge on brain activity is. To discuss these interrogations, the “Fondation Médicaments & Sociétés” organised a conference on 2 April in [...]

 On April 2, MQ: Transforming Mental Health (MQ) – a British charity aiming to promote research in order to improve the quality of life of people affected by mental illness – published a new landscape analysis of mental health research funding in the United Kingdom. The extremely wide range of disorders covered by mental illnesses make them one of the [...]

On the occasion of the Brussels 20 km race that will take place on 31 May 2015, the European Brain Council has decided to shine a light on the benefits of physical exercise on the brain. It is already well known that aerobic exercise can help reducing the risks of almost every known disease involving your heart, your lungs and [...]

Today in Europe – and beyond –, many people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases are confronted to difficulties to access job markets. For this reason, the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) and MEP Rosa Estaras Farragut organised a conference in the European Parliament on March 24, in order to discuss the role of the newly elected [...]

(Munich, 19-20.03.2015) On 19th and 20th March 2015, a MARATONE project meeting took place at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. MARATONE (“Mental Health Training through Research Network in Europe”) is a Marie Curie Skłodowska Initial Training Network that is funded under the 7th Research Framework Programme and of which EBC is an associated partner. At the beginning of the project, [...]

Dementia is a growing issue for global public health, and one of the major health challenges for our generation. 47 million people currently live with dementia, and, as the population is ageing, this figure is expected to triple by 2050 (for more facts, see WHO infographic). In the light of this data, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hosted on 16th-17thMarch 2015, [...]

On March 10th, the European Brain Council (EBC) met with Leon Delvaux, President Juncker’s adviser on Health and Food Safety, and Sigrid Wimmer from DG SANCO. The following issues were addressed: Horizon 2020 budget cuts: The main purpose of this meeting was to introduce EBC’s work, and present a position paper endorsed by EBC members regarding Horizon 2020 budget cuts [...]

Is pension at the age of 70 Europe's future? The Summit on Innovation for Active and Healthy Ageing took place in Brussels on 9-10 March 2015. The European Commission invited participants to discuss how Europe can address the challenges and seize the opportunities arising from demographic change through ICT and innovation. A number of European Commissioners, national ministers, regional authorities [...]

In November 2014, a first Seminar on the “Value of Health” was held in Brussels and led to the elaboration of a scoping paper examining the various approaches and frameworks to measure healthcare outcomes in Europe. Further to this, a roundtable was organized on March 5, 2015, to discuss “Healthcare Outcomes as a Drive for Sustainable Health Systems”. Nowadays, healthcare [...]