The inaugural International Brain Health Conference 2026 in Edinburgh will unite global leaders to explore early detection, personalised interventions, and preventive strategies before dementia develops.

An international conference bringing together global leaders in neuroscience, clinical research, public health, and policy will take place in Edinburgh in May 2026, focusing on protecting brain health before dementia develops.

Hosted by Scottish Brain Sciences, IBHC 2026 will examine the latest advances in early detection, personalised medicine, biomarkers, and service innovation aimed at delaying or preventing neurodegenerative disease. The two-day event will convene researchers, clinicians, life sciences and pharmaceutical partners, policymakers, and innovators to tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing ageing societies worldwide: translating advances in brain health research into earlier, more effective intervention.

Professor Craig Ritchie, CEO and Founder of Scottish Brain Sciences and professor of Brain Health and Neurodegenerative Medicine at the University of St Andrews, said: “Brain health has moved decisively upstream. We now have the scientific tools to identify risk and disease processes long before dementia presents clinically. The challenge is integrating this knowledge into services, policy, and real-world practice. IBHC 2026 is designed to address exactly that.”

The conference will feature an international faculty including Professor Jeff Cummings (University of Nevada), Professor Vanessa Raymont (University of Oxford), Professor Allan Young (Imperial College London), and Dr Francesca Farina (University of Chicago).

Key themes include early detection through imaging and fluid biomarkers, women’s health and brain health, brain health services and health economics, nutrition, sleep, mental health, comorbidities and infectious disease, and global approaches to prevention. The programme bridges discovery science with health system implementation, recognising that brain health is both a clinical and public health priority.

Professor Jeffrey Cummings will open the conference discussing advances in therapeutics: “Therapeutic advances in Alzheimer’s disease are accelerating rapidly, giving us new tools to target the earliest stages of illness. But progress doesn’t stop with treatment—we must also prioritise high-quality prevention trials. At IBHC 2026, I look forward to highlighting how innovation in both therapeutics and prevention can change the future of brain health.”