Why brain health must become Australia's next national health priority

Australia has national strategies for cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental health and dementia. Yet the organ that underpins every thought, memory, movement, emotion and decision — the human brain — still lacks a coordinated national strategy.

That gap is becoming increasingly difficult to justify.

Neurological disorders now represent one of the greatest health challenges of our time. More than 3.4 billion people worldwide live with neurological conditions, making them the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death globally. Australia is not immune. An ageing population, increasing survival after stroke and traumatic brain injury, and growing numbers of people living with migraine, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, dementia and long COVID-related neurological complications mean demand for neurological services continues to rise.

Yet brain health is much more than neurological disease.

Brain health is crucial at every stage of life

The World Health Organization defines brain health as the preservation of cognitive, sensory, emotional, behavioural and motor function throughout life. This broader perspective shifts our focus from treating disease to promoting lifelong brain function. It recognises that protecting brain health begins long before illness develops and involves every stage of life — from pregnancy and childhood through to healthy ageing.

This is not simply a neurological issue.

General practitioners manage hypertension, diabetes and vascular risk factors that influence stroke and dementia decades later. Paediatricians support healthy neurodevelopment. Psychiatrists care for disorders that share biological pathways with neurological disease. Rehabilitation physicians help restore function after brain injury. Public health practitioners design healthier communities, while educators, employers and policymakers shape environments that either protect or undermine cognitive wellbeing.

Brain health belongs to every sector of society

Importantly, many of the greatest threats to brain health are modifiable. Better blood pressure control, diabetes management, smoking cessation, regular physical activity, healthy sleep, hearing preservation, social connectedness, lifelong learning and reducing harmful alcohol consumption all contribute to healthier brains. Preventive strategies that benefit cardiovascular health frequently protect the brain as well.

The return on investment extends well beyond health care.

Healthy brains improve educational achievement, workforce participation, innovation, productivity and healthy ageing. They reduce disability, lessen demand on hospitals and residential care, and strengthen families and communities. In an increasingly knowledge-based economy, cognitive health represents one of Australia's most valuable national assets.

Despite this, our health system largely continues to approach neurological conditions individually. Stroke has one strategy. Dementia another. Brain injury, epilepsy, migraine and Parkinson's disease each compete separately for attention and resources. While disease-specific initiatives remain essential, they should sit within a broader national framework that recognises their shared risk factors, common preventive opportunities and interconnected workforce requirements.

Building a national framework

Other countries are beginning to move in this direction. The World Health Organization's Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders (IGAP) provides an international roadmap that encourages nations to strengthen prevention, improve access to care, build workforce capability, promote research and reduce inequities. Australia has an opportunity not simply to adopt this vision but to lead its implementation across our region.

A National Brain Health Strategy would provide that framework.

Such a strategy should unite governments, health services, universities, professional colleges, researchers, consumer organisations and community groups behind a shared vision. It should prioritise prevention, improve equitable access to neurological care regardless of postcode, strengthen Australia's neuroscience workforce, accelerate research translation, support healthy ageing and establish measurable national indicators for brain health.

Importantly, this should not become another document that sits on a shelf. Success will depend on measurable outcomes, cross-sector collaboration and sustained political commitment. Brain health should be considered across education, transport, urban planning, aged care, disability, Indigenous health and preventive health policy — not solely within hospitals.

Protecting the cognitive wealth of our nation

World Brain Day on 22 July provides an ideal opportunity to begin this conversation.

Around the world, neurologists, patients, researchers and advocacy organisations will unite under the theme "Brain Health: Access for All." In Australia, leaders from health care, universities, government and consumer organisations will gather to discuss what a National Brain Health Strategy could look like and how we can work together to achieve it.

This is ultimately about more than reducing neurological disease.

It is about helping Australians learn better, work longer, age healthier and remain connected to their families and communities. It is about protecting the cognitive wealth of our nation.

The science is compelling. The economic case is persuasive. The public health need is undeniable.

The question is no longer whether Australia needs a National Brain Health Strategy.

The question is whether we are prepared to lead.

Professor Mukesh Haikerwal AC is a General Practitioner, A/g Chief Executive Officer of Brain Injury Australia, Honorary Enterprise Professor at University of Melbourne, Past National President of the Australian Medical Association, Past President of AMA Victoria, and Past Chair of Council of the World Medical Association.

Professor Tissa Wijeratne ( OAM MD PhD FRACP FRSM FAAN FAHA FRCP (Edin) FRCP (London) FEAN is the Chair, Department of Neurology at Western Health, Melbourne, Australia. He is the Director, Academic Medicine , Director, International Affairs, a senior Neurologist and the Director of the stroke Unit, Neuroscience Research Unit, Movement disorders program, Headache program at Western Hospital, Melbourne. Tissa is a Professor in Neurology and clinical Associate Professor in Medicine, Western Health Clinical School, and University of Melbourne, Australia.