My Brain Robbie – mybrainrobbie.org

The Project

A healthy brain!

The present initiative is a creative effort to raise awareness and promote better understanding of brain health in children aged 6 to 12 years old and, more broadly, to increase global public awareness of the importance of brain health to all age groups.

Scientific research in neurology and in epidemiology has shown that early prevention and lifelong healthy lifestyles may mitigate the risk of developing chronic diseases including dementia. We created a character named Robbie and a video that presents scientific knowledge about brain health prevention as a fun and engaging narrative. Robbie the brain explains to us the things we can do every day to keep our brain healthy.

Our goal is to empower children (as well as teenagers, adults and older people) to maintain a healthy brain throughout their lives by providing them with simple public health messages. In an effort to reduce health inequalities and promote health, we plan to translate our video A healthy brain ! into different languages and to distribute it for free.

The team and supports

The present project was designed and developed by Eleonore Bayen, an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health at the Global Brain Health Institute. Eleonore Bayen is currently an Assistant Professor in Neuro-Rehabilitation in Paris at Sorbonne University – La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. She holds a Medical Degree in Neurology and a PhD in Health Economics. She is part of the first cohort of Atlantic Fellows who graduated from the Global Brain Health Institute. The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) works to reduce the scale and impact of dementia around the world by training and supporting a new generation of leaders to translate research evidence into effective policy and practice. Founded with support from The Atlantic Philanthropies, GBHI is led by the University of California, San Francisco, and Trinity College Dublin.

The video was created thanks to an amazing team of teachers, health professionals, doctors, scientists, and experts in communication and design, including Atlantic Fellows and Faculty from the Global Brain Health Institute. We are very grateful to these extraordinary collaborators who gave up their time to support this non-profit project and brought their pedagogic skills, energy and passion to the table! We also thank The Atlantic Philanthropies and the Atlantic Institute. This project has been supported by the Alzheimer’s Association and the Global Brain Health Institute.

Educational pack

The video can be broadcast in different environments, including schools. In order to support public health interventions about brain health in elementary and middle schools, we have created an educational pack that complements the video. It contains work sheets that can be used by school teachers, volunteering students and volunteers. The video as well as the educational material are free to access and cannot be used for commercial purposes.

Scientific evidence

The eight healthy habits that one can observe every day and that are put forward in the video are listed below. They correspond to modifiable risk factors of cognitive decline and dementia:

  1. Learn: role of education, cognitive stimulation and new learnings in building cognitive reserve in individuals
  2. Be active: importance of physical activity and prevention of sedentary lifestyles related to spending too much time in front of electronic screens
  3. Avoid head injuries: prevention of traumatic brain injury
  4. Have a healthy diet: description of the so-called “Mediterranean diet” that is currently recommended
  5. Avoid dangerous substances: preventive message about tobacco and drug intake, and about excessive alcohol use
  6. Sleep well: importance of good and regular sleep
  7. Take good care of your health: importance of medication compliance, in particular in chronic diseases for which a treatment exists
  8. Spend time with family and friends: importance of social interaction
 

Please find below some scientific articles and expert reviews related to these public health messages :

The projected effect of risk factor reduction on Alzheimer’s disease prevalence

Barnes DE, Yaffe K. Lancet Neurol. 2011 Sep;10(9):819-28. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(11)70072-2.

Potential for primary prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: an analysis of population-based data

Norton S, Matthews FE, Barnes DE, Yaffe K, Brayne C. Lancet Neurol. 2014 Aug;13(8):788-94. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(14)70136-X.

Dementia prevention, intervention, and care

Livingston G, Sommerlad A, Orgeta V, et coll. Lancet. 2017 Dec 16;390(10113):2673-2734. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31363-6

Prévention de la maladie d’Alzheimer et des maladies apparentées.

Haut Conseil de la Santé Publique (HCSP). Collection Avis et Rapports. Décembre 2017.

Going further

CONTACT US

If you liked our initiative and wish to support us and help us grow, please contact mybrainrobbie@gmail.com

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