Chile launches 2026 Brain Year, highlighting common brain disorders

In 2026 Chile will mark the “Año del Cerebro” (Brain Year), a nationwide programme organized by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation together with the Chilean Society of Neuroscience. As part of the initiative, Valeska Gatica Rojas, academic researcher at the University of Talca, outlined the most prevalent brain conditions in the country.

She identified cerebrovascular accident (stroke) as the leading cause of disability and a top cause of adult mortality, followed by dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury from traffic, work or fall accidents. Other notable disorders include Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis, many of which can produce motor impairments.

Gatica emphasized that early, multidisciplinary rehabilitation – involving physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech‑language pathologists and physicians – markedly improves functional recovery and independence for patients with these conditions.