The Global Brain Care Coalition connects best-in-class research at MGB with exceptional research from our global network of collaborators and partners into the real world. Explore our notable publications and media below.
Notable Publications
Study Goal: Evaluate how well the Brain Care Score predicts dementia and stroke in a cohort of 400,000 people.
Key Finding: Higher scores at baseline consistently predicted lower rate of dementia and stroke across all age groups.
Conclusion: The Brain Care Score is statistically significant, actionable tool for reducing age-related brain disease.
Study Goal: Evaluate how well the Brain Care Score predicts future late-life depression and a composite of dementia, stroke, and late-life depression in a cohort of 360,000 individuals.
Key Finding: Each five-point increase in baseline BCS was associated with a 33% lower risk of late-life depression and a 27% lower risk of the incident composite outcome.
Conclusion: Higher Brain Care Scores don’t just protect your physical brain health; it also protects your mental health.
Study Goal: Determine if the Brain Care Score accurately predicts dementia and stroke risk in racially and ethnically diverse group of US adults.
Key Finding: Regardless of race or ethnicity, a higher score at the start of the study was associated with lower risk of dementia or stroke later in life.
Conclusion: The 12 factors of the Brain Care Score provide a roadmap for brain disease prevention no matter who you are or where you come from.
Study Goal: Using data from the U.K. Biobank, investigate if increases in the Brain Care Score reduce risk of dementia, stroke, and depression.
Key Finding: Each 1-point improvement was associated with a 4% lower risk of age-related brain disease.
Conclusion: Maintaining a high Brain Care Score through lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of age-related disease, regardless of genetic risk or initial BCS baseline.
Study Goal: To examine whether the Brain Care Score has similar associations with stroke in Black and White individuals in the U.S.
Key Finding: The Brain Care Score is a predictor for everyone. For every 5-point increase, the risk of stroke dropped by 53% in Black individuals, compared to 25% in White individuals.
Conclusion: Improving your Brain Care Score is an important tool to reduce your stroke risk.
Study Goal: Using data from the Women’s Health Study, evaluate the association between the Brain Care Score and the incidence of cerebrovascular events.
Key Finding: Women with a 5-point higher baseline BCS were 37% less likely to experience a cerebrovascular event after adjusting for age, menopausal status, use of hormonal replacement therapy, and other cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Conclusion: Women have many biological factors that increase their stroke risk. The BCS serves as a valuable tool to reduce the risk of stroke and mini-stroke among women.
Study Goal: Determine if the Brain Care Score – originally designed to protect against brain disease risk – can also predict the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Key Finding: For every 5-point increase in the score, the risk of heart disease dropped by 43%, and the risk of the three most common cancers (lung, colorectal, and breast) dropped by 31%.
Conclusion: The Brain Care Score is a “universal starting point” for healthy aging for both your brain and your body.
Study Goal: Investigate whether the associations between BCS and stroke, dementia and LLD are independent of genetic predisposition
Key Finding: Across different genetic predispositions for stroke, dementia, and LLD, healthier lifestyle behaviors are protective for brain health.
Conclusion: Genetics are not destiny. Even if you have a family history of these diseases, lifestyle changes can make a difference.
Study Goal: Understand why dementia diagnosis rates differ across U.S. counties and identify community factors linked to higher risk using data from over 61 million Medicare beneficiaries.
Key Finding: Dementia rates varied widely. Higher rates were linked to factors like diabetes, smoking, limited healthcare access, and socioeconomic differences.
Conclusion: Where people live can influence dementia risk. Understanding specific factors can inform population heath interventions to reduce dementia cases in communities.
Study Goal: Determine whether two blood markers — GFAP and NfL — measured in middle-aged adults could predict early signs of brain small vessel disease later in life.
Key Finding: Higher levels of the blood marker GFAP in middle age were linked to more signs of brain small vessel disease on MRI scans nearly 9 years later. People with higher GFAP also showed worsening brain white matter changes over time. In contrast, NfL, was not strongly linked to these brain changes.
Conclusion: A simple blood test measuring GFAP in middle age may help doctors identify high-risk individuals earlier and focus on prevention methods where it may have the greatest impact.
Study Goal: Review global health data to find out how much each lifestyle factor contributes to someone’s overall brain health risk.
Key Finding: The 12 components of the Brain Care Score target the factors with the highest real-world impact.
Conclusion: The Brain Care Score is not just a collection of healthy habits – it is a blueprint for people to preserve their long-term brain health.
Study Goal: To understand the factors that shape emotional and physical wellbeing in stroke recovery using stroke survivors’ lived experiences and compare it with a commonly used quality of life survey (SSQoL).
Key Finding: Five health-related quality of life constructs were associated with recovery: loss of independence, decreased physical mobility, feelings of shame, fear of uncertainty, and reduced community participation. The SSQOL Scale captured decreased physical mobility and reduced community participation but did not capture other constructs.
Conclusion: Stroke recovery is shaped by more than just physical factors alone. Many emotional factors shape recovery and may be missed by some of the routinely used surveys.
In the Media
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Takeaway: The Brain Care Score isn’t just a number; it’s a roadmap.
Takeaway: Lifestyle and behavior changes are powerful for the prevention of age-related brain diseases.
Takeaway: Proactive brain care should start well before symptoms appear.
Takeaway: The Brain Care Score allows us to move from just treating brain disease to actively preventing it.
Takeaway: Small, disciplined changes today are the best defense against the dementia and stroke of tomorrow.
Takeaway: Improving one of the components of the Brain Care Score often means you’re indirectly improving others.
Takeaway: It’s never too soon to focus on prevention. The earlier you start the better.
Takeaway: The trajectory of brain disease is not inevitable. We need individuals, communities, and policy makers to come together to make a difference in the lives of many.
In the Media
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