World Brain Awareness Week (10-14 March)

Published by ICSEB at 13 March, 2025

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an international campaign launched in 1996 and coordinated by the Dana Alliance in the United States and the European Dana Alliance for the Brain.

It responds to the common interest in advancing public awareness of brain research, with the goal of disseminating the progress and benefits of scientific studies on the brain, promoting its care, and highlighting the importance of neuroscience.

At Institut Chiari & Siringomielia & Escoliosis de Barcelona (ICSEB), we join the call for awareness of this exquisite organ: large and complex, the brain controls the activity of the nervous system and the body’s organs.

The term “brain” is often confused with “encephalon.” In reality, the brain is merely the antero-superior and most voluminous part of the entire encephalon, which is divided into the brain, cerebellum, and brainstem (Fig. 1).

Fig.1. – Anatomy of the encephalon: brain, cerebellum, and brainstem.

The neurosurgical activity and research at our centre are dedicated to Filum Disease (FD), Neuro-cranio-vertebral Syndrome, and all related conditions, which mainly involve caudal traction driven by the Filum terminale ligament across the entire Central Nervous System.

For this reason, Filum Disease also concerns the brain, although most of these diseases seem to affect the spine (for example, idiopathic scoliosis), the spinal cord (idiopathic syringomyelia), the cerebellum (cerebellar tonsil descent), and the skull (occipital hinge malformations).

In fact, our doctors also observe several signs and symptoms of cerebral disturbance, which they recognise as consequences of the traction caused by an excessively tight Filum terminale due to a Neuro-cranio-vertebral Syndrome, often unknown to other specialists: some forms of leukoaraiosis and ischaemic foci in the white matter associated with FD (https://institutchiaribcn.com/enfermedad-cerebrovascular/ ); the supra-cerebellar space created between the brain and cerebellum in most Arnold-Chiari I cases (Fig. 2); visual and auditory disturbances due to FD; neuropsychological alterations of language, memory, attention, and sleep, typical of FD.

Fig. 2 – The supra-cerebellar space (in green and red) in Filum Disease with cerebellar tonsil descent (in yellow), demonstrates that it is due to traction and not a lack of space.

In line with the objectives of BAW from 10 to 14 March, ICSEB will continue working to promote awareness among doctors and patients about the little-known impact of the brain in Filum Disease and conducting research in the field of Neurosciences, to expand knowledge and refine our treatments, with the goal of improving these aspects of our patients’ quality of life.