The new edition of “Preserving the Brain” aims to focus on the importance of prevention and early treatment of widespread and still incurable diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and Multiple Sclerosis.

Organized in partnership with fifteen renowned neuroscience institutes from world-class universities and five Italian patient organizations and associations, “Preserving the Brain: A Call to Action” articulates in a scientific conference (16 – 17 October 2024) and an exhibition which will be accompanied by a series of talks (16 October 2024 – 7 April 2025) to be held at Fondazione Prada’s Milan premises.

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by a series of modifiable risk factors, the correction of which would have major consequences on an individual and collective level. To protect ourselves from the increasing prevalence of these neurodegenerative diseases, it is crucial to act on modifiable risk factors, take care of the environment, promote healthy lifestyles, implement educational activities, and engage all actors of society and political institutions. For this reason, “Preserving the Brain: A Call to Action” will see the participation of leading research centers, academics, patient associations, and organizations that operate in the field of brain health, as well as representatives of institutions. The main goal is a productive exchange among different stakeholders to promote specific actions related to modifiable factors on neurodegenerative diseases, leading up to a “call to action” addressed to a wide population, especially younger generations.

As Miuccia Prada, President and Director of Fondazione Prada, states, “This new edition of ‘Preserving the Brain’ shows how necessary it is to create an even stronger dialogue between the scientific world and the public of a cultural institution like the Fondazione. The themes of prevention and active role of culture in this field concern everyone and specifically younger generations.”

As Giancarlo Comi, Honorary Professor of Neurology at the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan and Scientific Director of “Preserving the Brain: A Call to Action”, underlines, “The brain, and therefore neural functions, represent the defining and distinguishing element of human beings. For this reason, the Brain Health campaign, which has recently been promoted by international agencies in conjunction with scientific societies in this field, requires a strong endorsement by all. The neurodegenerative diseases are complex pathologies and are almost always a combination of various genetic and environmental factors. We have only recently begun to unravel this complex skein and have realized that some of the environmental causes are roots of the disease that we plant ourselves, both individually and as social and political choices. Prevention therefore becomes fundamental to both reduce the risk of disease and improve its progression. The conference will compare the latest research developments by encouraging debates among experts from different fields. The exhibition linked to the conference aims to extend the fundamental aspects of prevention to the entire community and intends to do so through collaboration with the international scientific community and patient organizations and associations. These actors will explore some of the common and specific issues of different neurodegenerative diseases, which will also be the subject of discussions and meetings throughout the duration of the exhibition. To effectively tackle neurodegenerative diseases, it is essential that the entire community, in all its facets, be involved.”