World Brain Day 2025: Why your brain deserves the spotlight today
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Each year, World Brain Day is celebrated with a specific theme imparting a conscious effort to understand the importance of neurological care. This year the theme is, 'Brain Health for All Ages', which underscores the 12
annual celebration of the event, emphasizing that brain health is not a fleeting concern- it's a commitment spanning from the womb to the young age and then to the old age.
The journey to brain wellness begins from the day the fetus starts growing in the womb, which is shaped further by parental care, nutrition and eating habits, lifestyle and most importantly, the environment in which we live.
Every stage- from infancy, childhood to the old age period, our neurological system and even our body demands mindful care and proactive habits for proper growth and development.
As it is rightly said by Prof. Wolfgang Grisold, President of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN)- 'Brain health isn't a moment in time—it's a lifelong commitment. World Brain Day 2025 is our call to action to protect neurological well-being from the earliest stages of development, through childhood, adulthood and into older age.
It's a commitment to care, equity, and access for all.'
Brain Day celebration isn't just an initiative; it's the most important tool in any human's body. Just imagine for a moment, every thought we have, our feelings, our emotion, our understanding that channels decision making in our life- everything matters on our comprehending skills. So, who channels it- obviously it's our brain- a three- pound intricate marvel nestled within our skull.
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At present time, we are surrounded with a lot of technological advancement and with those complications have also led its way, mental health has become a prominent issue. And brain function is one of the components which matters more than ever, when it comes to mental health issues. Why? Because everything starts from the brain as it comprehends the meaning which further leads to mood swings, mental intake of a particular situation.
At present, we need to take it seriously because neurological disorders are now the leading cause of disability- adjusted life years (DALYs) globally, which is the second leading cause of death after heart disease. New research links unhealthy lifestyle habits, environmental toxins and poor nutrition surge in conditions like Alzheimer's, depression, Parkinson's etc.
Yet, despite these sobering realities, people are not properly educated about the importance of neurological health, funding for neurological research is woefully inadequate compared to other diseases.
The reason behind includes lack of knowledge, awareness and prioritization. So, every year, World Brain Day is celebrated as an initiative to bridge the knowledge gap by placing the brain squarely in the spotlight, igniting global conversations, and urging immediate action.
It should be taken as a public health priority, because if we count in numbers, over 1 billion people worldwide live with a neurological disorder.
As we traverse the modern landscape, marked by technological growth with a greater life expectancy, we need to figure out a way for better brain cell growth, because the health of our brains determines the destiny of individuals and a better family. The conversation is urgent, so the call and action must be taken promptly- Brain should be for all ages and a key priority.
As per the Harvard Medical School, the human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons forming about 100 trillion connections—networks so complex that they dwarf the capabilities of the human mind to fully comprehend.
New fields like connectomics aim to map these tangled networks to understand how different regions and cells work together to produce thoughts and behaviors. According to various reports and research studies, the human brain gets smaller as we get older and it keeps on developing until our late 40s, the fun fact is the human brain is the largest brain of all vertebrates relative to body size and it triples its size in the first year of life approximately to 80% by two years of age.
As referenced in Scientific Americana study, 'if the brain worked like a digital video recorder, 2.5 petabytes would indeed suffice to hold three million hours of television, meaning we'd have to watch TV continuously for more than 300 years to fill it up.' This super-computer consumes about 20% of the body's energy, despite being made of nearly 75% water, the brain is more efficient than any existing computer, processing information faster than the fastest computers.
So, this July 22, let's come together not just for brain development, but for a better healthy lifestyle. Because a healthier brain is not just about personal wellness—it is the root of flourishing communities and a thriving world.
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