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8
Lundbeck Magazine 2009
"Health research is one of
the most profitable activities
a society can invest in"
The European Brain Council
The European Brain Council (EBC) is a
coordinating council formed by European
organizations in neurology, neurosurgery,
psychiatry, basic brain research
(neuroscience), as well as patient
organisations and industry. The EBC
was founded in 2002 in Brussels, and
has offices in Brussels and Florence.
www.europeanbraincouncil.org
No public money for research
Brain diseases are also costly for society. In
fact, they cost as much as heart disease and
cancer put together. In 2004, the cost of brain
diseases in Europe was EUR 386 billion.
“The figure comes from a study that I was
involved in compiling. It revealed that brain
diseases are both more expensive and have
more far-reaching consequences than was
previously thought. But if one looks at the
amount of money that is actually used on
brain research, it is as if this is forgotten.
Migraine, which I specialize in, is a very
expensive disease in socio-economic terms.
It costs European countries EUR 27 billion
annually, but there is almost no public money
to research it. Among the more than 300 PhD
scholarships recently awarded by the Danish
Agency for Science, Technology and
Innovation, there was not one single
scholarship for brain research in Copenhagen.
As a field of study, the brain is not nearly as
prominent as it ought to be,” Jes Olesen says.
High return on investment
However, the EU Commission has in its
Seventh Framework Programme given priority
to brain research for the first time ever.
“This is better than it has been, but I am
disappointed that the strong wording has not
resulted in a similar increase in funds. Health
research is one of the most profitable activities
a society can invest in, and it gives an
enormously high return on investment,” adds
Jes Olesen.
Another problem is the lack of large and
powerful patient organizations on a par with
the Heart Association or the Cancer Society.
“The area of brain diseases is poorly organized.
In Denmark, we have 27 patient organizations
that focus on brain-related issues, but there is
a lack of collaboration between them and
affected persons to lead out in efforts on
behalf of the cause. Persons who have been
cured of heart disease or cancer are frequently
so grateful that they become involved in
volunteer activities – and have the strength
to do so. But no one wishes to step forward on
the basis of a psychiatric diagnosis. In addition,
brain diseases sap patients of their energy to
the point where they must draw on their
meagre reserves,” Jes Olesen explains.
On the rise
And the need for more knowledge and
treatment will continue to rise. Brain diseases
do not merely disappear. Dementia and
migraine are both on the rise in the Western
world, while the situation for psychiatric
diseases is less clear. The only disease in which
progress with certainty is being made is stroke.
“That there are more persons with dementia is
related to the fact that more people are living
longer. But we have no idea why the incidence
of migraine headache is rising. That the
incidence of stroke is not rising by five per
cent annually as statistics indicate it should, is
probably due to better prevention in the form
of medications that lower blood pressure and
inhibit cholesterol formation. And also that we
have become better at warning people to
avoid alcohol and tobacco, or at least to keep
down their consumption, which is also true in
relation to some other brain diseases. Apart
from that, the prevention of brain diseases is
largely uninvestigated,” Jes Olesen says.
PHOTO: Joachim ladefoged