Regional and Global Leadership in Brain Health
Since its founding, the INECO Foundation has championed brain health as a vital pillar of human well-being, economic development, and social cohesion. Long before “brain health” became a global agenda, we were already promoting the idea of mental capital, designing innovative public policies, and collaborating with institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank to embed brain health across the entire life course—from childhood to old age.
This long-standing commitment led to the creation of the Brain Health Institute at INECO Foundation, a platform that strengthens our historic mission in research, education, public policy, and community engagement.
INECO has been a key voice in the world’s most influential brain health forums. We brought Latin America’s perspective to global platforms like the UN General Assembly, the Vatican Global Aging Summit, Cambridge University, Rice University, Osaka University, and the Swiss Brain Health Plan in Bern.
We also helped draft and pass Argentina’s National Brain Health and Dementia Law in 2025, a landmark piece of legislation that created a nationwide program to prevent, detect and care for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias
Our scientific work is published in leading journals such as The Lancet Neurology, Neuroscience, Molecular Psychiatry, PLOS ONE, and Journal of Affective Disorders. We have contributed to shaping global brain diplomacy through:
• The Bern and Nairobi Declarations on brain health and equity,
• Landmark frameworks such as Brain Health-directed Policymaking (Brookings) and The Brain Economy (Springer, WEF).
According to the World Economic Forum, brain-related disorders cost the global economy $5 trillion annually, and that figure could rise to $16 trillion by 2030. Addressing mental and neurological disorders could unlock over 130 million years of higher-quality life, with massive economic and social returns
The Brain Health Institute at INECO Foundation is a multidisciplinary hub that:
• Conducts translational research in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychiatry.
• Partners with public institutions to design evidence-based brain health policy.
• Trains professionals and decision-makers in aging, child development, mental health, and brain capital.
• Fosters an ongoing forum for brain-health knowledge exchange, through symposia, debates, and interdisciplinary platforms that bridge scientific evidence with clinical practice and policy development.
• Empowers citizens and families through brain health education and community outreach from an early age.
Today more than ever, brain health is a global priority. And from the Global South, with a unique scientific and human perspective, the Brain Health Institute at INECO Foundation is poised to lead the international conversation, generate context-specific evidence, and advance transformative policies for healthier brains and stronger societies.
Brain Health Institute – INECO Foundation
Brain health to transform lives, communities, and futures.