November 18, 2025

@michaelokun

Do you know the 5 steps to prevent neurological disorders from Parkinson's to stroke and beyond? Switching To preventative neurology won’t be a pill it must be a PLAN. Prevention refers to proactive strategies designed to reduce risk before biological disease pathways become irreversible. Kevin Sheth, Ray Dorsey and I describe in a new Viewpoint in JAMA Neurology how preventive neurology will require a systemwide shift toward early detection, exposure reduction and integrated care Key Points: - Prevention requires moving neurology from a reactive model to an anticipatory model embedded across primary care, public health and environmental health. - Environmental and lifestyle exposures including pollutants, pesticides, microplastics and ultraprocessed foods are major modifiable drivers of neurological disease across the lifespan. - A coordinated prevention agenda should include brain health screening, interdisciplinary teams, prevention-focused research, revised medical education and stronger policies addressing neurotoxic exposures. My take: Folks, it is time we follow our colleagues in cardiology and start talking seriously about prevention in Parkinson's and other neurological disorders. Here are 5 points that resonated w/ me: 1- Healthy environments matter because clean air, clean water and nutritious food can lower lifetime neurological risk. 2- Brain health screening in primary care is critical because catching early cognitive or motor changes will facilitate intervention during periods of potentially 'reversible windows.' 3- Tracking environmental exposures will be essential because many toxins begin by affecting the brain in utero and continue across decades. 4-Interdisciplinary care teams will be needed because prevention must live in collaboration w/ primary care, neurology, mental health and public health. 5- Prevention is a lifelong plan because protecting brain health requires sustained action across diet, exercise, sleep, stress and environmental choices. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2841565 www.pdplan.org #michaelokun #stroke #parkinson #MS #fixelinstitute