What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we can do for brain health in the 21st century!
— Jim Carroll
Original 2021 statement: What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we did for brain health in the future
What Jim has written about this
From “Daily Inspiration: “What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we can do for brain health in the 21st century!”” (January 2019)
19 Trends for 2019 - and today, #4 : The Acceleration of Brain Health Science!
From “Megatrends One Year Later – #13: Brain and Cognitive Health – What I Predicted, and What’s Actually Happening” (August 2026)
“What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we will be doing for brain health in the 21st.” - Futurist Jim Carroll
One year ago, in July 2025, I published Megatrend #13: Brain and Cognitive Health as part of my 30 Megatrends series. Time to grade myself.
Brain health and performance optimization are emerging as the next frontier, similar to how cardiac care transformed in the previous century. Let us call it the ‘cognitive economy,’ one that involves tools, treatments, and technologies for brain enhancement. It is just beginning.
From “Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #13 Brain and Cognitive Health: “What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we will be doing for brain health in the 21st.”” (July 2025)
“What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we will be doing for brain health in the 21st century.” - Futurist Jim Carroll
With these harsh realities, it’s long been a goal of many in healthcare to ” do for brain science this century what we did for heart health in the last century.” How do we do that? There are several approaches:e
Is this all a pipe dream? Not to a lot of scientists and medical professionals, who believe that the path forward for brain health mirrors the successful public health revolution for heart health in the 20th century. Remember, it involved a multipronged approach involving
Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:
Daily Inspiration: “What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we can do for brain health in the 21st century!”
Megatrends One Year Later – #13: Brain and Cognitive Health – What I Predicted, and What’s Actually Happening
Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #13 Brain and Cognitive Health: “What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we will be doing for brain health in the 21st.”